Adidas sales rise 12%

Adidas Group saw currency-neutral sales rise 12% to €5.1 billion (£4bn) for the first half, and 4% year-on-year in euro terms.

The Adidas brand reported a 16% rise in currency-neutral sales to €3.7bn (£2.9bn) for the first six months of the year but Reebok saw its currency-neutral sales fall back by 2% and sales in euro terms slip behind 11% to €923 million (£723m).

Group currency-neutral sales in Europe rose by 16% to €2.3 bn (£1.8bn). Group gross margin also reached a record level for the first half following a 2.5 percentage point uplift to 49.6%.

Adidas chairman and chief executive Herbert Hainer said: "We are proud to report a strong set of financial results for the first half of 2008. Our performance is nothing short of exceptional, particularly in light of the tougher macroeconomic environment. Adidas and TaylorMade-Adidas Golf continue to show strong momentum and we have laid the foundations at Reebok for continued improvement in the second half of the year."

Sales rise 3.7% at John Lewis

John Lewis has reported a welcome boost to trading with sales up 3.7% for the week ended August 2.

John Lewis sales jumped to £47.4 million for the week, with fashion sales striding ahead by 7.4%.

Seven John Lewis branches, including Oxford Street and Aberdeen, posted increases in sales against the same week last year.

John Lewis managing director Andy Street said cited the new Ted Baker range as being a strong performer in womens wear : "In womens wear, it was terrific to see the response from our customers to the new Ted Baker range."

Street added: "New autumn stock continues to feed through, with sales gaining corresponding momentum. The focus is split going forward on the back-to-school peak and the opening of our new shop in Leicester in less than four weeks, where progress towards a successful opening from a building, team and stock perspective is excellent."

Gap saw like-for-like sales fall back 11% in July.

Gap's net sales were down 5% to $998 million (£517.5m) for the four weeks ended August 2.

Gap's international comparable sales, which include its UK stores, fell by 9% over the period against an 11% uplift in July 2007.

Gap chief financial officer Sabrina Simmons said: "In July, we focused on clearing through remaining summer product and preparing our stores for fall deliveries. We're pleased that we delivered merchandise margins significantly above last year."

Gap's second quarter sales for the 13 weeks ended August 2 also fell 5% to $3.5 billion (£1.8bn), with like-for-like sales down 10%. International comparable sales in the second quarter were down 6%.