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John Lewis Christmas trading lift
John Lewis saw a strong start to its traditional Christmas trading period, with sales up 11.4 per cent year-on-year for the week to last Saturday. The department store, which took £85m in the week, reported high demand for beds, fitted carpets and made to measure curtains as customers prepare for entertaining. A 29 per cent year-on-year increase in the Electronics and Home Technology (EHT) unit showed the popular trend of giving technology products. Spokesman Nat Wakely described the increase as a “very creditable result”.