John Lewis stores in Scotland suffer sales falls

All three John Lewis stores in Scotland witnessed falls in sales last week, according to the latest figures from the department store chain.

The John Lewis store in Edinburgh. Picture: Joey Kelly

The employee-owned retailer said overall takings in the week to 3 October were up 3.4 per cent on the same period last year, although the rise lagged behind the 6.9 per cent growth seen the previous week.

Among its Scottish outposts, Aberdeen suffered the steepest decline, with sales down 18.5 per cent year-on-year.

Takings at the Edinburgh branch fell 6.1 per cent, while Glasgow’s sales were 1.1 per cent lower.

Retail services director Barry Matheson said: “Looking ahead, with the Christmas shop now installed across all our branches, we’re seeing customers’ minds turn to gifting.”