Store sees sales slump

The Edinburgh branch of John Lewis has suffered a slump in trading during the first week of its clearance sale.

John Lewis saw sales slide by 11.6 per cent in the week to December 31 at its St James Centre store.

It means that its clearance sale, which started on December 27, has got off to a much slower start than last year.

Many retailers were enticing customers into parting with their cash by offering major discounts long before Christmas, which may affect how some perform during the crucial January sale period.