John Lewis Partnership has posted strong growth at both its department store and Waitrose supermarket divisions for the five weeks to January 5.

The eponymous department store chain generated a like-for-like sales advance of 6.2 per cent and total sales climbed 7.6 per cent.

Waitrose notched up comparable store sales growth of 4.1 per cent and total sales rose 6.1 per cent.

John Lewis Partnership chairman Charlie Mayfield said: “I’m pleased with the performance of the divisions, particularly in the context of the demanding market conditions we faced during this important trading period. We expect the trading environment to continue to be very challenging this year.”

The retailer will unveil full-year results on March 6.