Sales at Marks & Spencer rose 4.8 per cent in the 13-week trading period ending March 27th, with UK sales buoyed by a 10 per cent rise in clothing sales.

However, international sales – which include its stores in the Republic – fell 5.9 per cent as a result of “particularly difficult trading conditions” in Ireland and Greece, the company said.

“We have weathered the immediate impact of the recession,” said the retailer’s chairman Stuart Rose.