Sales growth slowed at Primark during the festive trading period, due to unseasonable weather.

Sales at the fashion retailer, which has stores in Gloucester and Cheltenham, rose 7.9% to £3.4bn in the 16 weeks to January 6, down from an 18% rise the previous year before, as reported by Retail Gazette.

Like-for-like sales edged up 2.1%, driven by a rise in average selling prices - a significant slowdown from the 8% growth in the previous quarter.

In the UK, total sales were up by 4.5%, with sales in the run-up to Christmas helping to offset slow sales caused by warm weather at the start of the quarter.

Across the rest of Europe, sales were up 8.1%, while US sales soared by 45%, boosted by new store openings.

The retailer's owner, Associated British Foods, warned that Primark could face new supply chain issues and rising costs due to the Red Sea disruption.