John Lewis turns rain into strong first-half results

By Karen AttwoodPublished: 14 September 2007John Lewis, the owner of 26 department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain, has delivered a stellar half-year performance, bucking the overall trend on the high street, where retailers have been hit by the combination of dismal summer weather and fears of a consumer slowdown.However, its chairman, Charlie Mayfield, added his voice yesterday to a