Although department store group John Lewis just managed to top last year’s figures by 0.1 per cent in the week to May 14, it proved to be a much more buoyant week for electrical and home technology products.

In fact, electricals proved to be the only one of John Lewis’s three product directorates to gain on last year’s figures. Sales here grew by five per cent, while for “home” products they were two per cent below the same week in 2010 and for “fashion” down by one per cent.

“It was clearly a week when technology was front-of-mind for customers,” said John Lewis retail director Andrew Murphy.

“We sold through our stocks of Apple's latest barnstormer – the iPad 2 – in no time (and with impressive attachment rates, too) but computing ranges overall stacked up an impressive 15 per cent increase on last year even without the iPad effect.

“Audio also did well, benefiting from its stylish new ranges, while fans have blown away last year's sales figures – more than doubling their trade – and with great British design leading the way in the shape of 'the Dyson', which contributed over half the total.”

Online sales at johnlewis.com also did well, up 18 per cent on the year, with SLR cameras one of the products leading the way here.

Mr Murphy pointed out that click and collect sales were 63 per cent up on last year.

He added: “Emerging from a long period where true like-for-like comparisons have been virtually impossible to determine, we are confronted by an undoubtedly challenging retail market.”