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John Lewis has reported a 51 per cent rise in first-half pre-tax profits, but has joined other retailers in warning of a tougher time ahead in the market.

In a statement today the department store group and owner of the Waitrose supermarket chain confirmed that its pre-tax profits climbed to £146 million in the six months to July 28th.

John Lewis chairman Charlie Mayfield said that both its divisions had reported "excellent" profit growth, with the group having "shown resilience" in light of the tougher retail environment.

Overall sales were up 6.7 per cent over the first-half, rising to a total of £3.17 billion.

At Waitrose sales climbed to £1.92 billion, based on overall growth of 7.1 per cent.

Sales growth reported by the supermarket over the first-half was underpinned by the acquisition of six new stores late last year, company bosses stressed.

Sales and John Lewis department stores and direct channels totalled £1.24 billion over the first-half, up by an overall 6.1 per cent on the previous year. Online sales at John Lewis Direct were also up 42 per cent over the year.

But despite the positive result, Mr Mayfield stressed that the outlook for the retail market was "more challenging than has been experienced for some time".

However he stressed that consumer spending appeared to be holding up well against recent turmoil on the financial markets, higher interest rates and a "more subdued" housing market.

"We are confident that our product ranges will inspire customers and that our partners will continue to set us apart from the competition, enabling both our businesses to achieve further growth," Mr Mayfield said.