Business news in brief: John Lewis John Lewis yesterday posted a third week of slowing sales growth, which the department store chain blamed on milder weather and tough year-on-year comparisons. Economist Howard Archer warned the figures were a "reminder that a sustained improvement in consumer spending is far from guaranteed." The 7 per cent sales rise for the week to 20 October lagged behind the 12 per cent average posted for the past 12 weeks. Sales at the Aberdeen branch were up 4.8 per cent, while Glasgow was 4.3 per cent higher. But Edinburgh fell 5.5 per cent. In-house lawyers choose top names The Law Society of Scotland's in-house lawyers" group has elected a new chair and vice-chair, it was announced yesterday. The twin appointments of Lynda Towers and Sara Scott to chair and vice-chair, respectively, follows their nominations by the group's committee last month. The appointments were ratified yesterday by the membership at the annual general meeting. Spanish jobless at highest since Franco Spain's unemployment rate hit a record high in the third quarter, with one in four out of work and more expected to lose their jobs in 2013 as the next phase of government cutbacks kicks in. At 25 per cent, yesterday's official number was the highest since the Franco dictatorship ended in the mid-1970s, and gives fresh impetus to calls by labour unions for a general strike next month. Yellow Pages ad price cap dropped A PRICE cap on advertising rates at Yellow Pages is set to be removed after the Office of Fair Trading said it was no longer appropriate. The current controls came into force in 2007, when the Competition Commission said prices for classified advertising in the Yellow Pages were higher than they would have been in a well-functioning market.