Ocado, which delivers groceries to Waitrose, has seen sales rise to £91 million after a strong Christmas sales period.

The supplier saw sales grow by 14.2 percent over six weeks leading to January 6th, marking a 12.4 percent growth in its fourth quarter.

Duncan Tatton-Brown, Ocado's finance director, dismissed the position of Waitrose as a serious competitor despite also posting strong sales, “"Waitrose is growing and growing strongly but it is still a relatively modest business in terms of its size.”