John Lewis sales down 3.7% last week as warm weather impacts footfall
John Lewis saw its sales fall by 3.7% year-on-year last week as the autumn sunshine led to a drop in footfall.
Online trade was also affected, with trade more muted than in recent weeks. Sales rose by just 5% with Click & Collect a key driver through John Lewis shops and Waitrose.
While electrical and home technology sales climbed by 5% boosted by a strong performance from both small and large electrical appliances, fashion sales dropped by 10% as customers put off buying autumn clothing ranges in the warm weather. Home sales fell by 4.3% with beds, bedroom and fitted furniture some of the better performing products.
Despite the warm weather, four shops beat their numbers from the same week last year. Poole led the new format shops, along with Aberdeen, Welwyn and Milton Keynes.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Commenting on the week’s trading Chris Hooper, head of retail change at John Lewis, said: “We like to start with the weather, but last week it was certainly a significant factor in our performance as the autumn sunshine impacted footfall and delivered a modest comparison with what was a cold and wintry week at the same point last year.
“The next three weeks look on paper to be real opportunities for sales growth, and with perhaps more autumnal conditions, and a significant team effort, we should get back to business as usual.”
