Department store chain John Lewis said that it suffered a drop of 1.4 per cent in revenue during the week ended January 9 as cold weather and icy conditions dissuaded shoppers from hitting the high street.

Aberdeen store experienced a fall of 17.2 per cent in sales due to bad weather, while sales tumbled 1.3 per cent at the Glasgow store.

Sales at twenty-eight department stores plus one John Lewis at home store plunged from54.6 million pounds to settle at 53.8 million pounds during the one-week period ended January 9.

The retailer said revenue from electrical & home technology items dropped 5.6 per cent, while revenue from homewares declined 1.2 per cent.

Commenting on the issue, John Lewis said, "Footfall was significantly depressed in many shops through the middle part of the week and a substantial number of trading hours were sacrificed to close some branches early."

However, Waitrose reported a jump of 21.8 per cent in sales to 92.5 million pounds as cold weather boosted demand for warm drinks and food.