In the six months to June 30, the three branches in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen were all ranked among the top 10 performers in the 26 outlets that John Lewis operates in the UK.

The Edinburgh branch saw a 6.5% increase in sales compared with the first six months of 2006, the company said, though it did not provide financials. Glasgow ended 8% up year on year.

Aberdeen was the star performer, however, being the only UK branch to achieve a double-digit increase, with a 10.7% rise in sales on 2006. All three businesses have grown by some 20% in the last two years.

AndrewMurphy, managing director of John Lewis Edinburgh and Aberdeen, said: "I'm delighted to see all three Scottish branches in the top 10 and performing exceptionally well. These results reflect the continual improvement of our retail environment, the introduction of new product lines and the industry's leading customer service proposition."

The first Scottish branch opened in Edinburgh in 1973, although John Lewis traded in the city, as The Silk Shop, from 1943. The John Lewis Partnership also operates John Lewis Direct ... a website and catalogue business, 184 Waitrose supermarkets, and Greenbee, a new direct services company. The business has an annual turnover of more than £6bn.