John Lewis sees weekly sales boost

Cooler temperatures helped John Lewis increase sales by 14.1 per cent to £74.8 million last week compared to a year earlier, with cashmere and warmer tog duvets proving to be among the top sellers.

The employee-owned department store chain – one of the few retailers to release weekly data – said fashion sales were up 11.9 per cent on last year and childrenswear rose 36.3 per cent, over the back-to-school period south of the Border.

At its three Scottish branches, Aberdeen was the stand-out performer, with sales up 6.4 per cent, year-on-year. Edinburgh lifted 3.5 per cent while Glasgow eked out a rise of 0.6 per cent.

Christine Kasoulis, buying director at the group’s home division, said: “This was the biggest week of the half so far and it is very encouraging for the crucial months ahead. The cooler weather and associated footfall drove sales across all three directorates [divisions].”