John Lewis posts record Christmas sales

John Lewis Partnership department store sales reached record highs during the Christmas season, the UK retailer revealed Wednesday.The company made £684.8m from sales for the five weeks to December 29th, up 14.8% from the year before. Most sales were made in the week leading up to December 22nd with the retailer posting £157.8m, up 26.5% on 2011 for the equivalent week.The biggest sellers were in fashion, electronics and home products. Consumers made most of their purchases online as retail website sales increased 44.3% from the previous year.Andy Street, Managing Director of John Lewis, said: "I am delighted that John Lewis has delivered record breaking sales figures over the Christmas period and the first five days of clearance."In an economic climate which continues to be volatile, to have achieved these results is testimony to the strength of the John Lewis brand and the commitment of all our partners to give outstanding service."He said the company's website had been a big hit, with sales breaking through the £800m milestone in December. Johnlewis.com now accounts for a quarter of the total John Lewis business.Major retailer, Next, is also expected to report positive results on festive trading on Thursday. The UK's second largest clothing store should reveal full year results of up to £598m in profit before tax, according to data from Nomura Now. RD