SEVERAL retailers have announced strong trading figures for the Christmas period and the January sales.

Primark – which has stores in Poole’s Dolphin Centre and Bournemouth’s Commercial Road – reported a rise in sales of 14 per cent in the 16 weeks to January 4.

Argos, with its new focus on digital items, revealed its best Christmas performance for more than 10 years. The chain has stores at Bournemouth and Poole town centres, Castlepoint, Ringwood Road in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Blandford. Like-for-like sales jumped 3.8 per cent in the 18 weeks to January 4.

Game announced recently that its sales nearly doubled over Christmas, less than two years after the firm was rescued from administration. The chain, which has remaining branches at Poole and Castlepoint, agreed with Argos that the launch of new games consoles had helped business.

Meanwhile, the Dixons Retail Group said sales took off “like a rocket” from Boxing Day, with £100,000 of sales going through its tills every minute, making up for a quieter fortnight before Christmas.

The group has Currys PC World combined stores at Wessex Gate Retail Park in Poole and Stoney Lane Retail Park in Christchurch, and stores at Mallard Retail Park in Bournemouth.