Football failure boosts John Lewis sales

ENGLAND'S exit from the World Cup in South Africa gave John Lewis a surprise boost, the department store chain said yesterday.

With no English matches to watch, shoppers were said to have returned to the high street, leading to an 11.4 per cent year-on-year rise in sales.

North of the Border, Glasgow's revenues were up 4.4 per cent, while Edinburgh posted a 2.4 per cent rise. But sales in Aberdeen slipped 2.7 per cent. Online sales were boosted by the chain's latest "clearance" sale.

Head of multi-channel content, Helen Keppel-Compton, said: "Clearance remains key for this week. The cooler weather and - sad though it is - the lack of English interest in sporting events should be in our favour."