John Lewis reports e-tail boost

Department store chain John Lewis has reported that last weeks in-store sales saw a 20 per cent improvement over the previous week, as shoppers respond to the VAT rate cut.

Although these sales are still down by 6.7 per cent on the previous year, this still represents an improvement on the 13 per cent seen during most of November.

Online sales for the period beat its previous record, established last year, by £500,000.

“The next two weeks are absolutely crucial for us and all high street retailers, but we are confident that the upward sales trend will continue,” commented John Lewis’ selling operations director Nat Wakeley.

Source: Press Association