John Lewis ends Christmas clearance on a high note

Department store group John Lewis has enjoyed a “cracking finale” to its post-Christmas clearance, with sales up 19 per cent year-on-year.

The employee-owned retailer racked up sales of £75.8 million in the week to 12 January, up from £63.8m for the same period last year, with electricals and home technology products leading the way.

Sales across the group’s three Scottish branches were all higher compared with last year, with Glasgow enjoying the strongest growth of 15.3 per cent. Aberdeen was up 10.1 per cent, and sales in Edinburgh rose 7.5 per cent.

With heavy snow forecast across many parts of the UK for the coming days, John Lewis said: “Hopefully we and our customers will navigate it safely and successfully towards the end of our financial year.”