Barry Reveals His Secrets of Success ; As Retailers Get Ready for the Busiest Time of Year, Christopher Knox Takes a Seasonal Trip to Meet Barry Blamire, the Managing Director of One of the North East' S Biggest Department Stores.

Summary

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CHRISTMAS 2009 saw winners and losers on the high street in equal measure as ruthless competition intensified in an increasingly tight market.

But there was much rejoicing at department store chain John Lewis in January after seeing year-on-year sales soar by 12.7% to pounds 500.76m over the festive period last year - twice the average for the sector.

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Extract

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Barry Reveals His Secrets of Success ; As Retailers Get Ready for the Busiest Time of Year, Christopher Knox Takes a Seasonal Trip to Meet Barry Blamire, the Managing Director of One of the North East' S Biggest Department Stores.

Overseeing record sales at the chain's Newcastle store in Eldon Square was managing director Barry Blamire, who puts recent successes down to the company's long-held reputation for quality.

He said: "During a recession people revert back to retailers that they trust, which is why we continue to work hard to develop brand loyalty among our customers.

"We have an extremely loyal customer base, which I believe will help us to achieve even better sales this Christmas."

Having worked at no less than seven John Lewis stores around the country, it is clear that Blamire certainly h...

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