John Lewis posts record sales in week to Dec 11

LONDON | Sun Dec 12, 2010 - Retailer John Lewis JLP.UL said department store sales rose 10 percent in the week to December 11, compared with the year-earlier period, helped by better weather.

Sales grew to a record 121 million pounds for the week, up 16.7 percent from last week's trade and 8 percent higher than the retailer's previous best week in 2009, it said in an e-mail on Sunday.

The employee-owned group is seen as a bellwether of the UK's retail sector.

Sales at Waitrose, the John Lewis-owned supermarket, were up 9 percent for the week helped by demand for turkeys and the supermarket's Four Pig Roast ahead of Christmas.

"Over the last couple of weeks customers focussed on staying warm through the cold spell - but now festivities have arrived in earnest," said Waitrose Managing Director Mark Price.

($1=.6313 POUND)

(Reporting by Julie Crust; editing by Louise Heavens)