RETAILER John Lewis said mixed weather drove shoppers into its department stores during last week – helping lift total sales by 3.7% on a year earlier to £59.9m in the final few days of its clearance.

London’s Peter Jones and Oxford Street were the best performing branches, at 9.9% and 6.2% respectively.

Online sales were up by 31% compared with the same week last year after the John Lewis Partnership introduced product ratings and reviews “with great success”.

Electrical goods saw an 8% rise in sales with headphones and IT accessories among the top sellers. Fashions and beauty products already logged increased sales.