Love was in the air as Waitrose benefited from Valentine surge

Customers bought 22 per cent more Valentine's gifts and chocolates than last year, while the number of bottles of sparkling wine rose by 83 per cent.

Waitrose said the start of celebrations to mark Chinese New Year also inspired food shoppers as sales of oriental meals rose 66 per cent.

The supermarket said parades were held to mark the Year of the Tiger in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Birmingham.

Overall, sales were up 9.5 per cent in the week to last Saturday compared to the same week last year, at 91.4m.

Waitrose – the grocery arm of John Lewis – said a new toilet paper with cashmere extracts had proved a "surprise hit" during the week.

"In times of economic hardship it's the little luxuries that put a smile on your face, and the super soft tissue provides that stamp of luxury," the supermarket said.

Meanwhile, John Lewis department stores saw sales rise 12.5 per cent in the week to 49.5m, helped by strong gains for its fashion and home departments.

Sales of men's branded casualwear soared 49 per cent, while women's outerwear rose 33 per cent.

In the home division, the department store reported a 16.5 per cent sales increase as the Valentine's effect helped boost gift sales 41 per cent.

Beds and bedroom furniture were also 40 per cent higher in the week.

Electricals were the weakest link, up 2.9 per cent on last year, with large items up 9.2 per cent and kitchens 34 per cent high- er.

The retailers said the sales growth was unaffected by the adverse weather, which had caused problems for many firms earlier in the year.

Kate Heseltine, of Seymour Pierce, said the department stores had seen a "reasonable week" although it was "a touch lighter" than prior periods.

"The apparel retailers, in our view, have kept much tighter stocks files over January and there has been less discounting than the previous year so we believe that margins are measurably higher," she added.

n Fuel sales fell by 11.1 per cent in January as Britons cut down on non-essential journeys, according to statistics, while sales of household goods fell by 13.4 per cent, the biggest monthly drop since January 1988.

Even excluding fuel, however, sales volumes fell 1.2 per cent on the month, the biggest drop in almost a year.