John Lewis department store sales up

LONDON (Reuters) - Retailer John Lewis JLP.UL said on Thursday department store sales increased by 7 percent in the week ended November 17 as the recent spell of cold and wet weather kick-started Christmas trading.

"This week is going incredibly well, we are 11 percent up for the week so far," Dan Knowles, Director of Selling Operations, said in a statement. "This is due to a continuation of last week's cold weather and an increasingly festive feel at our shops".

(Reporting by Mike Elliott; editing by Mark Potter)