John Lewis sales down during holiday week
John Lewis said sales suffered in the seven days to 30th April due to the combined effect of the Easter break and the Royal Wedding weekend. In figures released today, the retailer said that sales year-on-year had declined by 9.2%.
All stores that had been open for more than 12 months reported a drop in sales compared to the same period last year. The worst performing store was Poole with sales year-on-year down by 21.3%. However, online sales were up 18.3% compared to the same week last year but this was down on the previous week’s increase of 33%.
The retailer said that customers were keen to buy patriotic and royal wedding items, with tea towels winning the prize for the fastest selling item of memorabilia. There was also a boost in the sales of fascinators and occasion wear due to the ‘Kate effect’. However, fashion sales overall were down by 8.8%. Home was the worst performer with sales declining by 12.4%.
Helen Keppel-Compton, head of multichannel content at John Lewis, said: “It was a unique week of trade with a lovely party feeling, but inevitably the bank holidays had a detrimental effect on footfall.”
She added: “This week is free of distractions from a trade perspective. With the weather set to be kind we can look forward to getting back to normal and doing what we do best: great product, great service and a great place to shop, whichever channel you choose.”
