JOHN LEWIS SEES STRONG SALES RISE

The employee-owned group, seen as a bellwether for high-street spending, said weekly sales rose 6.3 per cent for the week to July 25 as customers sought bargains.Waitrose, the group’s grocery chain, saw sales rise by 9.9 per cent.

John Lewis follows Kingfisher, Next, Morrison and Halfords in reporting good sales as consumers took advantage of lower mortgage and utility bills to spend.