John Lewis emerged today as one of the biggest winners from the Easter weekend after reporting a huge sales jump at its department stores.

Sales on Good Friday were up by 29 per cent on the same Bank Holiday a year ago, and by 33 per cent on Easter Monday.

Sales at Waitrose, the John Lewis supermarket chain, rose by 27.6 per cent during last week as a whole.

The figures follow reports that the desperate weather led to dire trading across the high street.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research fears that sales dropped by 14 per cent over Easter weekend against the same period last year while visitors to DIY shops are thought to have plunged by 13 per cent.

When asked about Easter trading yesterday, Ian Cheshire, the chief executive of the B&Q owner Kingfisher, said: “Well, it snowed.”

Nat Wakeley, John Lewis regional director of selling operations, said that the biggest sales growth came in electrical and home technology and men’s brands.

He said: “We enjoyed terrific trading over the Bank Holiday weekend. Taking the key seasonal days together, every single branch reported an increase. It was a cracking week.”

John Lewis has consistently been one the high street’s star performers. However, last month reported one of its biggest sales falls for a year, triggering fresh nerves about the health of the retail sector.

A number of mid-market players, such as Dolcis, have collapsed into administration since Christmas and another wave has been expected given the pressure of meeting this month’s quarterly rent cheque.

Morgan, the French-owned fashion chain, announced this week that it was closing all its UK stores.

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