Retailers push FTSE 100 up

The FTSE 100 was up on the back of retail data.


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By :  ,  Financial Analyst

Solid retail data has helped the FTSE 100 to grow today (March 14th), with positive sales figures from Argos contributing to the growth of the index.

A sales boost for Argos was backed up by an announcement from supermarket chain Morrisons that it is going to start selling food online.

Shares in online grocery firm Ocado jumped 17 per cent according to BBC News after a positive trading update and speculation the company is set to join forces with Morrisons, stocks in which were up by 2.4 per cent.

"We maintained the momentum in sales growth and new customer acquisition with which we entered the year," said Ocado's chief executive Tim Steiner.

Overall, the day's trading has been a positive one for the FTSE 100 index, which was up by more than 20 points to stand at 6,503.65 this afternoon.

Miners in particular helped to force the index to a new five-year high earlier in the week, marking a good period of growth for the FTSE 100.

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