IT has been branded as one of the most challenging Christmases for retailers as cash-strapped families are set to cut back on spending.

But despite the difficulties facing Southampton’s High Street, the director of WestQuay’s flagship store, which has undergone a £5m refurbishment, is confident sales figures will be given a boost by the festive season.

And, as the city’s retail giant prepares for the countdown to Christmas, John Lewis’s Southampton boss Mark Venables reassured other Hampshire retailers that there are signs shoppers are getting excited about the festive season.

It comes after the company revealed a surge in weekly sales as the Christmas shopping season stepped up a gear.

John Lewis recorded sales of £113.6m in the week to December 3, a 9.6 per cent increase on the same week last year and a 15.1 per cent rise on the previous week.

The company, which has 29 department stores and six John Lewis at home outlets across the UK, employs almost 1,000 partners at its store in WestQuay.

The store, which is often seen as a barometer of consumer sentiment on the High Street, has seen an increase in sales in both female fashion and childrens toys.

Products like Apple’s iPad2, Lego and electronic toys are all “flying off the shelves”, Mr Venables added.

Festive decorations have been up in the store as early as October and the retail giant revealed they have now filled 80 temporary jobs in store, after more than 800 people applied for the posts.

He said he is not ruling out the possibility of people deciding they will spend late – giving hope to battered retailers.

He said: “Our sales figures have shown that shoppers are beginning to get ready for Christmas, albeit a little later than last year.”

Mr Venables does not deny the Christmas period, which generates as much as 50 per cent of a store’s annual profits, will be a challenging one.

A series of surveys have demonstrated consumers will be cutting back against the backdrop of the biggest cost of living squeeze in more than 60 years with unemployment at a 17-year high.

He said that, despite the fact sales are up two per cent year on year to date, this figure includes business generated online and the store itself is operating at a single figure decrease.

The store is also being forced to price match after a series of surprise cut-throat Christmas sales from competitors designed to win shoppers from the rivals.

But Mr Venables said that John Lewis Southampton has no plans itself for any last minute sales before Christmas Day.

He said: “No one is saying anything other than of course we are experiencing tough economic times. It is too early to say but I am genuinely confident we can look forward to a busy Christmas trading period.”