John Lewis sales down 3.5% last week
Sales at John Lewis last week were impacted by the late summer heatwave and sunny Bank Holiday weekend. The department store chain finished the week with sales down 3.5% year-on-year.
Electricals and home technology had a solid week with sales rising by 2.6% as the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer continued to be popular with customers.
Sales in the home category declined by 1.7% although furniture performed strongly with sales up 11.2% compared with the same week last year.
The fashion category was the worst hit by the warm weather, finishing the week with sales down 9.9%. However, the sunshine meant that sales of Antler luggage rose by 37%, suggesting that the weather could have prompted customers to book a last-minute Bank Holiday break.
John Lewis said the start of the new school year falling later this year means that parents and children are likely to be shopping for school uniform this week in advance of the new term.
