Retail news round-up on December 11, 2015: Sports Direct defends its labour treatment and John Lewis weekly sales up 3.5%.

Sports Directs defends staff treatment at warehouse

Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has defended the treatment of its staff after an investigation by The Guardian revealed that security checks of workers left some being paid less than legal levels.

The agency staff at its warehouse in Shirebrook are subject to lengthy security checks which end up in unpaid rather than paid time.

However, the sports retailer said the process had been streamlined to reduce waiting times.

The company has garnered much criticism for the way it treats some staff and suppliers.

John Lewis reports 3.5% rise in weekly sales

John Lewis recorded 3.5% year-on-year increase in its weekly sales. This was partly due to matching the prices of competitors' deals.

The department store group’s sales totalled £165.6m in the week to December 5.

A week-on-week decline of 11.8% reflected the previous week’s record-breaking numbers on the back of the Black Friday promotional day.

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