John Lewis and Waitrose report another strong week

Sales at the John Lewis department store chain were up 13%, with fashion up by 19%.

Electricals produced a 12% rise and home was up 10%, although director of selling operations for region B David Barford admitted the strong performance was against weak comps from last year.

All but five stores reported sales up, while online sales at johnlewis.com were up by more than a third in the week.

Among the bricks and mortar stores, the biggest riser was Cambridge, up just under 20%.

Waitrose reported a 14.3% sales rise over the week, with winter foods being the star performer. Halloween and Diwali also drove sales in related categories.