John Lewis managing director Andy Street remains upbeat on prospects for the festive season as he hailed the department store’s Christmas ad, unveiled today, the retailer’s best yet.

The ad was launched this morning on Facebook and Youtube and will debut on TV in an ad break on Saturday night’s X Factor.

John Lewis Christmas ad

Street said there are five “reasons to be cheerful” for John Lewis as it gears up for Christmas.

Street said John Lewis had delivered a solid performance so far in 2011. “We’ve done okay so far this year,” he said.

He added that the retailer had great product in for the festive season. “The product we’ve got this Christmas we’re incredibly proud of. We certainly have a world class assortment,” said Street.

John Lewis has also stuck to its price commitment Never Knowingly Undersold said Street. “The message is really getting through. We will match pound for pound,” said Street.

He added that “operational excellence” was another reason to be cheeful, particularly in online. “We have over 200,000 products online, a third more than last year,” said Street. “21% of trade comes from online and click and collect is our fasted growing area.”

Finally, he said, the John Lewis Christmas ad is the retailer’s “best yet”. “We’ve come to own Christmas,” said Street.

This morning John Lewis revealed sales rose 4.4% last week driven by an “outstanding” fashion performance.