John Lewis hails a week of ‘bricks & clicks’ success with sales up 20.7%
Sales at John Lewis climbed by 20.7% year-on-year last week, despite the plethora of sport on TV, as the clearance sale boosted trade both in-store and online.
The retailer said the week was a “real bricks and clicks success” although sales figures were slightly flattered by clearance starting a week later this year.
Sales in the shops rose by 16% with High Wycombe and Leicester leading the full-line department stores, and Newbury, Tamworth and Croydon achieving the best sales increases of the ‘At Home’ shops.
Online sales surged by 34.2% helped by strong traffic and conversion. Click & collect orders showed good growth with both John Lewis and Waitrose shops driving footfall. In addition, the number of online orders placed in shops was more than 50% ahead of last year.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Electricals and home technology sales climbed by 16.9% boosted by strong trade in white goods and small kitchen appliances. Televisions sales were back up after taking a small dip following England’s World Cup exit. Tablet computers and speakers also performed well.
Home sales increased by 22.2% as furniture achieved an all-time record week for the summer season driven by buoyant sales in beds.
Fashion had a strong week in the shops and a “brilliant” online performance, which led sales to increase by 23.7%. Womenswear and menswear were among the best performing categories.
Simon Russell, John Lewis director of retail operations development, said: “A host of sporting events did not deter our customers one bit, as the business enjoyed another very successful week’s trade.
“The week ahead provides some great trading opportunities; with final reductions in clearance, the introduction of new lines in branches and the start of the summer holidays in some parts of the country, meaning there is all to play for in the remaining weeks of the half year trading calendar.”
