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LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Marks & Spencer posted aworse than expected 5.8 percent drop in underlying sales ofclothing, gifts and homeware in its Christmas quarter,exacerbated by online delivery problems.
The performance was a fourteenth consecutive quarterlydecline in general merchandise sales for the British retailer,far underperforming analyst expectations for a 3 percent drop.
A 0.1 percent rise in food sales in the period over the 13weeks to Dec. 27, the company's fiscal third quarter, was alsolower than the 0.9 percent the market had expected.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Paul Sandle)
