STORE chain John Lewis was hoping for a late Christmas rush yesterday after revealing sales last week had been two per cent lower than last year's record.
The group, which has 26 outlets in the UK, said early discounting by high street rivals had led to a challenging Christmas trading period.
It has resisted the pressure to offer large reductions ahead of its post-Christmas sale, despite rivals staging one-day sales.
The group said: "There is no doubt that customers have left it later this year and we can expect to be busy right up until Christmas Eve."
Figures showed sales worsened in the week to December 18, down two per cent year-on-year at £78.8m, compared with a 0.5 per cent year-on-year decline the previous week.
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