STAFF at Marks and Spencer (M&S) have been awarded an £80m bonus pot after bumper sales growth in the final quarter of the financial year.

About 50,000 store staff have picked up between £200 and £500 in the first such payout since 2008, with the rest of the bonus pool going to managers and head office executives.

M&S chairman Sir Stuart Rose announced the windfall, reporting same store sales up by a better-than-expected 5.1 per cent in the 13 weeks to March 27 – a positive note for his final trading statement before new chief executive Marc Bolland arrives next month.

The sales rise marks the second quarter of growth in a row after the group posted a 0.8 per cent hike for the previous three months, which was the first increase in two years.

M&S – which runs a highprofile advertising campaign featuring celebrities including Twiggy and Dannii Minogue – has had a far better financial year after seeing profits drop by 40 per cent in the previous 12 months as the UK plunged into recession.

It said it was on track for 52- week annual profits of between £620m and £630m in the period to March 27, up from £604.4m the previous year.

M&S said self-help measures were beginning to pay off, with total UK sales up 6.2 per cent and online sales soaring by 48 per cent in the quarter.

Sir Stuart said: “These are strong quarterly results by any measure.”