Greggs, the retail bakery chain, have reported strong sales figures over the Christmas period. The sales success saw record numbers of mine pies and festive bakes sold over the month of December.

At the end of the five week festive period like-for-like sales had risen 1.5%. This figure rounds off a positive year for the retailer, who have reported increased like-for-like sales across 2011 at a growth of 1.4%.

Last year saw Greggs open 84 new outlets, a record figure that brings Greggs portfolio total to 1,571 shops nationwide.