WORKERS hoping for a good bonus this year will be cheered by the news of strong sales at its parent company.

Pre-Christmas sales at department store group John Lewis rocketed as customers snapped up high quality tableware and champagne, said the company.

The John Lewis Partnership, which operates Herbert Parkinson, Darwen, and J H Birtwistle in Haslingden, is owned by all 39,000 of its workforce and each year they receive a bonus based on the company's performance.

Sales at its stores for the four weeks to Christmas were 18 per cent ahead of the same period the previous year, rising to £256million.

And the week before Christmas saw sales rocket 37 per cent against 1998.

Last-minute gift buying saw customers choose china, glassware, silverware, clocks and watches as particular favourites.

John Lewis, which also owns the Waitrose supermarket chain, said its food retailing arm had also seen a bumper Christmas, which it called "outstanding in every respect, with sales hitting record levels".

Sales in the supermarket stores for the week running up to Christmas were 30 per cent higher than last year.

Last year workers across the group received a bonus of 19 per cent, worth £2,850 to a worker on £300 a week.

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