John Lewis has reported sales growth of 5% year on year in the week to 12 October.

It follows Office for National Statistics data showing retail sales rose by 0.6% month-on-month in September and by 1.5% overall in the third quarter.

Of the employee-owned group's 38 department stores, 15 reported lower sales than the same week in 2012, including Edinburgh down 4% and Glasgow down 0.9%. Aberdeen was up 4.1%, adding to a cumulative 5.1% rise in the previous 11 weeks, while Edinburgh's rise since July was 3.4% and Glasgow's 2.5% compared with the same period last year.

Electrical and home technology sales recorded by far the biggest gain, up 14.9% on 2012, while the group's online portal was up 16% and now has 250,000 products against 50,000 four years ago.

Managing director Andy Street said the lingering Indian summer had depressed sales. "However, the change of weather on Friday to the start of autumn injected real pace into the business."

Howard Archer, economist at HIS Global Insight, said: "This eases concern that consumers could be reining in their spending after splashing out at a healthy clip over the summer.

"Markedly improved consumer confidence, rising employment and an improving housing market are seemingly continuing to underpin spending."