Women drive John Lewis sales

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

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

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.

The partnership’s supermarket arm, Waitrose, also enjoyed a good week, with total sales 7.2 per cent higher than the year before. It said customers had been looking ahead to the summer by stocking up on warm-weather food.