STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M reported weaker than expected sales for its fourth quarter ending Nov 30, but said sales were up 4% in December and January, indicating a better start to the new fiscal year.

H&M's fourth-quarter sales were 62.19 billion Swedish crowns ($5.65 billion), up 3% in local currencies, a weaker performance than analysts' mean forecast of 63.48 billion Swedish crowns.

Black Friday landed on Nov 29 last year, and H&M said more of its sales around that key discounting day were reported as revenues in December, hitting quarterly sales by just under 1%.

($1 = 11.0038 Swedish crowns)