LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's John Lewis Partnership said on Wednesday it would raise its minimum rates of staff pay by 10%, starting April, at a cost of 116 million pounds ($148 million).

The group, which owns John Lewis department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain, said minimum hourly rates would rise to 11.55 pounds across the UK - above the government's national living wage, which will increase by 9.8% to 11.44 pounds an hour.

The partnership's rate for London staff will rise to 12.89 pounds.

($1 = 0.7860 pounds)