Ethical beauty retailer Lush Cosmetics has reported a bumper Christmas with like-for-like sales up 5 per cent in December.

The retailer said that sales in the last six trading days of December rose 25 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2006. Internet and mail order sales for December doubled compared with the previous year.

Lush UK financial director Kim Coles said: “We are very pleased to be able to report a positive increase in sales over the Christmas period in both our retail stores and internet/ mail order business. We are also delighted that our positive like-for-like trend has continued into the start of January 2008.”

Lush was set up 12 years ago and has 88 shops in the UK and Ireland and 510 shops worldwide in more than 40 countries.