John Lewis sales impacted by wintry weather last week
The John Lewis department store chain saw its sales decline by 4.4% year-on-year last week after trading was impacted by the wintry weather.
Fashion sales declined by 2.1% although the women’s accessories category had a strong week with sales up 11.1% due to customers buying items such as gloves and scarves. Boots were also popular with sales rising by 100%.
Home sales fell by 6% but the retailer’s new season, own brand House range put in a good performance with sales up by 7%. In addition, sales of gifts rose by 7.8% as customers began to shop for Valentine’s Day.
Electrical and home technology sales were down 5.1% in the week. However, sales in the communications technology category climbed by 4.5% with trade mainly driven by demand for mobile phones and smartwatches. The snow increased sales of heating products which were up 200% on last year.