Luxury fashion retailer Burberry has emerged the most popular FTSE 100 company on Facebook with more than six million followers.

Burberry, which has been pioneering in its approach to social media with initiatives such as launching its own social media site Art of the Trench, is also popular on Twitter. It is the FTSE 100’s most powerful tweeter and has more than 253,000 followers.

Burberry selectively follows 94 individuals including celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, fashion news sites and opinion leaders in fashion. The Twitter feed updates on the brand’s activity, and who is wearing what of its products.

The findings - by Three_D, the social media division of PR agency Threepipe Communications - revealed 67 members of the FTSE 100 are now actively engaging with social media, and on average prefer Twitter over Facebook.

The ratio of positive to negative comments for Burberry was 13:1. Next was 8:1, Tesco 6:1 and Morrisons 2:1.

The report also found that Next has the most “passionate and engaged” social media community, with 43% of customers repeatedly discussing the brand.

Tesco tops the report for multiple Twitter accounts with eight, while Sainsbury’s has four. Sainsbury’s tweets once an hour every day in office hours.

Beth Carroll, head of social media at Three_D, said: “Social media may empower the consumer but it also creates an opportunity for brands. In the same way that Next has been able to elevate its presence to a similar level as Burberry, smaller brands can now have a voice and stand alongside large corporations such as those in the FTSE 100.”