McDonald's sales boosted by European demand

McDonald's is the world's largest restaurant chain

Fast food giant McDonald's has reported better-than-expected sales for January, thanks in part to strong demand in Europe.

Like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new store openings, rose 5.3% across the whole group, with those at European restaurants climbing 7%.

The world's largest restaurant chain highlighted demand for McCafe hot chocolate and Chicken McNuggets.

Shares in McDonald's closed up 2.6% following the announcement.

In Europe, the company pointed to strong performance in Germany, the UK, France and Russia.

Like-for-like sales were up by 3.1% in the US, and by 5.2% in what the company calls Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

"I am confident in our ability to keep innovating, investing and delivering what our customers want today and into the future," said the group's chief executive Jim Skinner.