Edinburgh tops John Lewis sales league

THE Edinburgh branch of John Lewis was the department store chain’s best-performing shop last week, continuing its recent run of good form.

Sales in the capital were up 5.7 per cent year-on-year in the week to 17 September, compared with a 2.9 per cent rise across the firm.

The other two outlets north of the Border couldn’t match Edinburgh’s stand-out performance, with Aberdeen down 4.8 per cent and Glasgow 1.1 per cent lower.

Freddie George, an analyst at Seymour Pierce, said: “There were [also] some eye-catching declines – including Bluewater down 12.9 per cent, Oxford Street 4.2 per cent lower and Reading off 13.6 per cent – indicating to us that even consumers in the south are reining back on spending.”

The group’s Waitrose supermarket chain posted an 11 per cent rise in weekly sales.