John Lewis sales rise but Scots stores lag behind

Department store chain John Lewis today reported a “strong” 6.9 per cent rise in weekly sales, but its three Scottish stores lagged behind, with Aberdeen suffering the sharpest fall.

John Lewis' Edinburgh store was its only Scottish branch to grow sales

Takings at its branch in the Granite City were down 20.9 per cent in the week to 26 September compared with the same period a year ago, with sales in Glasgow 6.8 per cent lower.

The firm’s store in Edinburgh was the only one north of the Border to enjoy a rise, albeit a modest 1.1 per cent.

However, with last week’s overall sales continuing a recent positive run, the employee-owned retailer said it had an “optimistic outlook” for the month ahead.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “Prospects for retail sales and consumer spending look largely bright for the near term at least, with a fall in inflation to zero per cent in August and a pick-up in annual underlying earnings growth to 3.2 per cent in July – the highest since early 2009 – highlighting healthy purchasing power.”