John Lewis sales down 4.1% last week
John Lewis saw its sales decline by 4.1% year-on-year last week as the later fall of Easter this year impacted trading patterns.
Fashion sales increased by 3.8% as trade was boosted by Mother’s Day gift buying in the beauty, wellbeing and leisure categories. Womenswear sales were up 11.1% due to the week’s warmer weather and the arrival of new collections.
Electrical and home technology sales fell by 12.2% as a result of there being strong promotions in the comparable week last year. However, sales of mobile phones and photography equipment were up 27.1%.
Home sales edged down 3.3% in the week although sales of home gifts climbed by 38.8% due to Mother’s Day buying. There was also strong trading in the carpet and flooring category where sales rose by 23.8%.
