Black Friday helps John Lewis claim record sales of £187.7m in last week of November

High-end department store John Lewis has notched up its all-time best week of trading in the last week before Christmas thanks to Black Friday bargains. The retailer recorded £187.7m in till receipts in the week until 28 November backed up by its Man on the Moon Christmas TV ad.

The figure was up 4.8% on the same period last year and John Lewis also announced a 15.5% higher total for online sales compared to the previous year. The employee-owned store also had its biggest ever single day of trading on Black Friday, 27 November.

During the record-breaking week the company recorded a 5.5% rise in electrical sales as TVs were snapped up at a rate of three a minute across the group and its distribution outlets had to work overtime to keep up with the rush, processing five items per second during the peak hour on Black Friday. Beating all categories were sales of wearable technology including fitness monitors and mobile phone-enabled watches that leaped 850%.

Dino Rocos, operations director at John Lewis, said: "Black Friday marks the first of the three peaks of Christmas and there was huge anticipation for the day this year and high expectations to meet. I'm very proud of the fact that we delivered successfully for our customers.

"Looking ahead, our branch and online teams are ready for another busy week as we go into the first full week of December."

The retailer has become well known for its Christmas TV campaigns. This year's Man on the Moon spot cost an estimated £1m and features a young girl sending a present to an old man who lives alone on the moon. The campaign was created by creative agency adam&eveDDB. A further £6m will be spent on TV advertising and media placement.

Previous Christmas TV campaigns from John Lewis include The Bear and the Hare and Monty the Penguin.