John Lewis, the largest department store group, reported that sales have risen by more than 10% in the week to December 17, helped by sales of Christmas gifts and decorations.

The employee owned group said toys, electronics, home accessories and also household furniture and Christmas decorations were selling well throughout the week, and the current chilly weather has improved sales of winter wear.

This announcement comes at a time when John Lewis launches an iPhone app that gives shoppers the means to access 200,000 John Lewis products and services in the busy lead up to Christmas.

The app is designed to improve the in-store shopping experience for customers by enabling them to:
Locate the nearest John Lewis store and obtain contact details, opening hours and get directions to the store.
Scan the product catalogue and browse items by using keywords and also product codes.
Scan product barcodes in-store to obtain extra information and videos.
Check out ratings and product reviews that can assist shoppers to make a decision on a suitable product to purchase.
Connect to the johnlewis.com mobile site using the app to purchase items when they are sold-out in the local store.

This follows John Lewis recently announcing that they are to become the first department store in the UK to offer shoppers free WiFi access in its stores across the country.