LONDON, Sept 7 British retailer John Lewis on Friday gave the following sales figures for the latest week compared with a year earlier. Week to Sept 1 5 weeks to Sept 1 Total sales 9.8 pct 11.3 pct Dept stores 15.3 pct 15.0 pct Food stores 6.4 pct 9.3 pct "The first signs of autumn seem to drive strong footfall into our shops, not least a significant 'back to school' week," John Lewis said of the department store outcome.
There were no "back to school" weeks in September.