Mixed picture for John Lewis

John Lewis has reported a fall in weekly sales, but says its half-year figures are still better than they were last year.

The department store's annual sales figures were down 4.5 per cent on the same period for 2007.

But sales for the six month period are up 0.6 per cent on a year earlier.

"Although sales have been harder to come by than we would have liked, and indeed planned for, we should nonetheless take pride in having grown our sales year on year," selling operations director Dan Knowles said.

Turbulence in the housing markets is thought to have hit sales in John Lewis' home department particularly hard.

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