SHOP staff were all smiles as they were awarded a bonus of one-fifth of their salaries.

The 1,320 staff at John Lewis, Bluewater are among those to receive the bonus - worth more than ten weeks pay - in the wake of a rise in sales in the last financial year.

The John Lewis Partnership announced group sales in the year ended January 2008 were up by 6.3 per cent, to £6.8 billion. Sales at John Lewis itself were up by 5.6 per cent to £2.8 billion.

The partnership said it was well prepared for challenging trading conditions in the year ahead.

Bride-to-be Karen Miller, who works as a call handler at the Bluewater branch, is spending her bonus on the final touches of her dream wedding in St Lucia, in May, including an upgrade to the honeymoon suite and a photographer.

She said: "Having the extras such as a photographer means so much, as we can capture the day. Without the bonus we wouldn’t be able to afford this extra luxury."

She and her partner are flying 33 of their closest friends and family out to celebrate their big day.

Charlie Mayfield, chairman of John Lewis Partnership said: "The Partnership has had a successful year in a challenging trading environment.

"The key to our success is the commitment of our partners who consistently deliver the customer service and professionalism that underpins our reputation for value, choice, quality and honesty.

"While we expect trading conditions to continue to be challenging in the year ahead, we are confident that the diversity of our business and our Partnership model makes us resilient and able to perform well even in the most testing market conditions.

"We are committed to the growth plans for our business and I am confident that we can deliver our long term plans."

The John Lewis Partnership total operating profit was up 15.7 per cent to £411.1 million.