Department store chain John Lewis has reported a 9.7 per cent slump in weekly sales as the economic uncertainty and grim weather made trade difficult.

For the week ending 8 November, John Lewis reported sales were down 23.8 per cent in Peterborough, 18.6 per cent in High Wycombe, 21.4 per cent in Cribbs Causeway and 9.1 per cent at London’s Oxford Street.

John Lewis director of retail operations Nat Wakely said: “The economic climate continues to be difficult, but we hope with last week’s interest rate cut, together with the news of our own investments in the future in both Bluewater and Dublin, and our new TV advertising campaign, we will continue to outperform in a difficult market. Certainly, our progress on our customer service and availability measure should give us confidence that we are set for the Christmas peak.”

The department store chain saw a strong result in handbags due to keen pricing, and its enhanced candle shop and Christmas table linen assortment performed well. It reported its best-ever week for Nintendo Wii sales, and top-end TVs and DVDs were also strong.

Waitrose reported weekly sales up 0.6 per cent, with strong sales for its wines promotions.

It said the new Westfield store traded strongly in its first full week despite local disruption at the weekend due to the popularity of the shopping centre.

Overall, the John Lewis Partnership reported weekly sales down 4.1 per cent.

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