Wm Morrison supermarkets said its bid for Safeway was continuing to increase its profile and encourage customers to visit its stores according to a report in the Financial Times.

Morrison said like-for-like sales, excluding petrol during the 14 weeks to May 11 had risen 6.9 per cent.

The Yorkshire-based chain was due to release a trading update at its annual meeting next Thursday, said it wished to update the market on its performance before meeting the Competition Commission on Tuesday.

Morrison's trading update came a day after Safeway published full-year results. Morrison shares gained 4p to rise to 188p