These festive victors have found a way of winning online and in store
Argos, Primark, Halfords, Homebase, Dixons and Ocado: the raft companies who saw sales leap over the Christmas period, and present a stark contrast to the big names (M&S, Tesco and Morrisons) that reported gloomy – and sometimes grim – results last week.
It's become something of a cliche to keep emphasising the need for transition from store to web, but some companies have managed to do it.
Part of the economic recovery has been cyclical, but it also shows how companies are managing – and successfully – to adapt to a world where the internet is often the first port of call.
We might have expected Argos and Dixons to start fading from the high street last year, but that hasn't been the case, as they, along with other, exemplify the importance of a swift and smooth transition into digital – and a strong strategy once there.
Argos, which is, along with Homebase, owned by Home Retail Group, saw a stellar Christmas turnaround on the back of very strong internet and mobile devices sales.
Ocado – the online grocer perhaps best known for delivering Waitrose food – saw gross sales soar 21.3 per cent to £11.1m in the six weeks to 5 January, buoyed by a Christmas rush.
But other stores have proved that there's still value in bricks and mortar.
Primark has an "excellent" Christmas, with sales up 14 per cent. The budget high street store is proof that the right in-store strategy can deliver sales.
Dixons – the high street electrical goods store – said like-for-like sales from 1 november to 4 January rose five per cent. Group margin fell 0.5 per cent, which shows signs of discounting.
And bike and car accessory retailer Halfords has been doing a pretty good job online and in its shops, with demand boosted by mild weather.
It saw like-for-like sales up 5.2 per cent in the 15 weeks to 10 January, and its online sales grew by 13.8 per cent, representing a record 11.7 per cent of total retail sales.