SHOPPERS snapping up televisions and video recorders ahead of the World Cup helped sales pick up at Dixons over the past few months.

The group, which has a Dixons store in Swindon, said like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new store openings, for the 19 weeks to September 8 rose six per cent.

Total sales at the group, which also owns Currys, The Link and PC World, were up 17 per cent.

Sales were particularly strong at the start of its financial year the end of April helped by shoppers buying goods such as TVs and video recorders ahead of the World Cup.

The figures are an improvement on Dixons' full-year figures released in June showing flat like-for-like sales for the year, after the downturn in the personal computer and mobile phone markets hurt trading.

Chairman, Sir Stanley Kalms, said: "Sales of TVs, DVDs, white goods and games consoles were strong and personal computers and mobile phones have shown encouraging signs of recovery."

He said that lower mobile phone margins meant margins as a whole fell.

"While it is too early to extrapolate these trends for the balance of the year, we look forward to a year of continued progress," he said.

Sir Stanley, who made the comments at the group's AGM, is standing down as chairman following 54 years with the company to take up the honorary post of president.

He is being replaced as chairman by Sir John Collins.