Festive cheer for John Lewis as sales show strong growth

The Christmas shopping season got off to a strong start this week with sharp increases in sales at major London stores.

John Lewis reported that it is seeing "signs of building pre-Christmas trade all around" as it posted a 9.1 per cent rise in year-on-year sales.

The high street build-up to Christmas traditionally starts in October half-term week, which ends this weekend. Oxford Street's Christmas lights will be switched on by film star Jim Carrey next Tuesday.

The department store chain, often viewed as a barometer of high street spending, said "seasonal purchasing kicked off strongly in some parts of the country" with London stores flourishing. However, it admitted that sales in the same period last year had been weak.

Selfridges said that advance bookings for its Christmas grotto were up by a quarter on this time last year.