LONDON (Reuters) - John Lewis JLP.UL, the employee-owned group viewed as a barometer of retail spending, said its department store sales have fallen for a second week in a row.

The group, which also runs the upmarket Waitrose supermarket chain, said on Friday 21 August sales at its 27 department stores fell 1.4 percent to 46.5 million pounds in the week to August 15, following a decrease of 5.3 percent in the previous week.

Sales were lower in spite of a poor comparative number for the same week last year, when shoppers were distracted by the lure of watching British success at the Beijing Olympics.

"This serves to remind us that 2009 remains -- even now -- the most challenging of years for retailers," John Lewis said.

Sales in the home category fell 3.6 percent and were down 2.1 percent in electricals and home technology. Fashion sales were flat.

John Lewis' two-week performance may dampen hopes of a rapid recovery from recession. These have risen in recent weeks as a raft of UK retailers have reported better-than-expected trading.

On Thursday 20 August, official data showed British retail sales rose 0.4 percent in July, twice as fast as expected, with the increase driven by furniture and electrical goods stores.

Sales at the 213-store Waitrose chain increased 10.4 percent year-on-year to 80.3 million pounds.

(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Simon Jessop)