A DEPARTMENT store giant has smashed its record for online sales.

John Lewis, which has one of its flagship stores in Southampton, saw website purchase soar to almost £24m in one week.

This is the first time johnlewis.com has broken the £20m mark and is up 47 percent year-on-year.

The firm has also had some of the best trading days in its store taking more than £100m.

Bosses said the excellent week, ending on Saturday, had seen a huge uplift in winter products such as heaters, nightwear and cold weather fashion.

Selling Operations head Maggie Porteous said: "The weather made last week a challenging one. It is a huge credit to all our partners that we have achieved such excellent sales despite the adverse conditions.

"There is no doubt that our multi-channel operation, where customers can choose from a variety of ways to shop, has contributed significantly to our trading success."