John Lewis announces sales 13% rise

Department store group John Lewis, which yesterday said its staff are to receive bonuses equivalent to 17 per cent of their salary, has announced a 13.3 per cent jump in sales for last week.

The employee-owned retailer said a 32.1 per cent surge in sales of technology products pushed takings in the week to 2 March to £64.3m, up from £56.8m a year ago.

Among its three Scottish branches, Aberdeen led the way with a 14.4 per cent increase, followed by Glasgow at 11.8 per cent, while sales in Edinburgh were up 8.3 per cent.

Profits at the group rose 16 per cent to £410m last year, on sales 9 per cent higher at £8.5 billion.