John Lewis sees sales surge

Department store chain John Lewis saw sales leap last week as consumers hit the shops despite the economic uncertainty.

The employee-owned company enjoyed a 14.2 per cent jump in sales in the week to March 10 compared to a year ago, with women’s clothing and accessories among the driving forces for the surge.

Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “The latest impressive John Lewis sales are a boost to hopes that consumers are perking up overall and will help the economy return to growth in the first quarter and then continue to expand.”

But he warned that although John Lewis is often regarded as a bellwether for the state of consumer spending, it has been very much an out-performer in recent times.

The online store was once again the top performer with sales up 37.5 per cent, but a number of shops also posted double-digit growth.

The Glasgow outlet was among the best performers with sales up 7.5 per cent, but Aberdeen and Edinburgh painted a mixed picture of Scotland’s consumer recovery, down 2 per cent and 5.1 per cent respectively.