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By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) -British retailer Marks & Spencer on Thursday reported a better-than-expected 8.1% rise in sales over the Christmas trading period, driven by market-leading growth in food and a strong performance in womenswear. The company said the strong performance – its 11th successive quarter of growth – underpinned its confidence about profits this year, but it sounded a note of caution on economic uncertainty and pressure from wage and business rates inflation. “We enter 2024 with a spring in our step, but clear eyed on the near-term challenges,” Chief Executive Stuart Ma…