DEPARTMENT store group John Lewis, which employs thousands of people in the south, can seem to do no wrong at the moment.

As previously reported in Business South, the retail giant's staff are in line for bonuses equivalent to six weeks' pay following bumper pre-tax profits of £174m.

Now there is even more good news for local employees as the big-name mutual posted a 6.7 per cent sales rise over Easter.

It cashed in on the surge in demand for gift foods, like chocolate eggs.

Trade was busiest on Good Friday as customers took advantage of time off work to fill their shopping baskets.

John Lewis said buying trends reflected the season as parents used the school holidays to buy their children new clothes, footwear and stationery.

One of its flagshire stores is at WestQuay shopping centre in Southampton.

The retailer also owns Waitrose, which is at the posh end of the supermarket spectrum.

With the Easter holidays falling earlier in the year than in 2003, the group said comparable sales at its 26-strong chain of department stores were 12 per cent higher.

Waitrose, which has branches at WestQuay, Chandler's Ford, Romsey, Hythe and Lymington, also improved its Easter sales performance by four per cent, with chocolate eggs more than 40 per cent ahead of last year.

This improvement was achieved despite more people choosing to travel abroad compared with last year when the Iraq War was at its height.

John Lewis said sales at its department stores totalled £42.2m in the week to April 10.

James Furse, director of selling support, said: "With the Easter holiday all but behind us, our focus must now move to making the most of what can be a quieter trading quarter."

John Lewis, which is mutually owned by its 59,000 staff, said sales at its 130 Waitrose supermarkets climbed to £59.2m last week from £49.7m.