Record Christmas for House of Fraser Group stores sold handbags at the rate of 40,000 a week, an increase of 16pc on a year earlier. Weekly sales of men's and women's shoes were up 19pc to 45,000 pairs a week. An early start to the sales season with price cuts of up to 50pc made the two weeks before Christmas the busiest period, while investment in the online business paid off with trade up 48pc. At peak periods online sales - 35pc of them from mobile devices - were running at one a second. Fashion and beauty products achieved a 7.5pc sales growth, menswear rose 7.4pc and fashion accessories were up 17.5pc Don McCarthy, chairman, said the development of house brands, increased emphasis on fashion and the online drive had put the group in a stronger position to cope with a "challenging year." He refused to comment on speculation about the sale of the 60-store group. He put the business up for sale last year and has talked to a number of interested parties, including Mike Ashley, owner of Sports Direct. Mr McCarthy said the strong Christmas sales performance and focus on margins should deliver the forecast 2.4pc rise in earnings this year and produce further growth next year.