John Lewis saw its year on year sales rise 7.1% to £91m last week after its Christmas advert launched on Friday, although this was a slight week on week decline as half term figures and the iPad Air launch from the previous week proved hard to beat.

The John Lewis Christmas TV animated cartoon advert, The Bear and The Hare, was shown on social media channels on Friday and a first for ITV was then shown during Saturday’s X-Factor in a standalone ad break.

The story, about a special friendship between a bear and a hare, is currently the most popular UK video on YouTube with 2.6 million views which took only 24 hours to reach its first million views. This milestone was reached 3 days faster than last year’s Christmas advert.

John Lewis managing director Andy Street said: “We have seen an overwhelming response from the British public to our TV advert. I don’t think anyone could have anticipated the reaction we’ve had, and while we’re surprised by the interest in the ad, we are pleased that our customers have responded in such a positive way.