John Lewis sales climb 6%

One of the star performers was its computing department, although fitted kitchens and furniture also registered strong sales.

John Lewis also delivered robust sales at its fashion division. Managing director Andy Street said: “Womenswear saw a resurgence of separates and new JL ranges made impressive gains. On the men's side, branded casualwear secured the lion's share of our growth.

“Trade in accessories was robust, particularly in perfumery – both premium and self selection. The children's teams were delighted to accelerate their growth compared with a year ago. Girlswear made up lost ground and babywear made double-figure growth for the second year.”

John Lewis Partnership stablemate supermarket chain Waitrose delivered an almost identical performance for the week to January 26, with sales up 6.7 per cent.

Waitrose managing director Mark Price said: “Reflecting on the end of my first year as managing director, I am delighted to be at the helm of a business that I am passionate about. It has been a year of tough competition, which presented many challenges, not least the fact that shortly after my arrival it started raining and didn't seem to stop for two months.”

Separately, Waitrose wants to launch a tea trolley service in major UK airports, in an effort to lighten the dreary mood in arrival halls.

Price told Retail Week he wants to test the service, selling Waitrose English Tea and biscuits at a Heathrow Terminal before the end of the summer.