"We have had a very good year, which saw us take market share," he said. "There has been growth from people regaining the confidence to the high street but I think we have also benefited from the difficulties facing some of our competitors, such as Debenhams. "We've found success across a lot of ranges, such as our slightly higher priced items, which we think have brought customers over from Zara or perhaps stores that have gone over the past year or two. "Over the summer, we also had a Barbie range which sold through, so clearly people are still very happy with our product offering." Elsewhere in the business, the group said it has seen "strong sales growth" in its grocery and ingredients businesses, alongside a "better-than-expected" performance in sugar. The company said its grocery business performed "slightly ahead" of target after strong performance from brands such as Twinings, Ovaltine, Blue Dragon and Patak's. Mr Weston said the business had also seen cost pressures ease back in the food operation.