Sales at John Lewis recover after post-Brexit slowdown

LONDON (Reuters) - Retailer John Lewis [JLP.UL][JLPLC.UL] reported a 4.7 percent rise in sales at its department store chain in the week to July 9, edging up from the previous week's muted trading after Britons' surprise vote to leave the EU. The John Lewis Partnership is the only major British retailer to publish weekly sales updates and is often seen as a bellwether for the sector. The previous week's update -- when department store sales rose only 2.1 percent after increasing 7.3 percent a week earlier -- had been seized on by economists looking for any sign that the vote to leave the EU had hit consumer confidence. However, trading was clouded by the impact of the summer sale and year-on-year weather comparisons, and the company did not make any reference to the June 23 referendum in its update. For the most recent data covering the week to July 9, department store sales rose 4.7 percent year on year to 85 million pounds. Sales at Waitrose, the group's upmarket supermarket chain, rose 2 percent year on year, compared with the previous week's fall of 2.8 percent. "Trade was boosted by our continuing clearance offers and strong sales of warm-weather products," said Dino Rocos, director of operations. (Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Stephen Addison and David Goodman)