John Lewis sales up 13% last week
John Lewis delivered a 13% increase in sales year-on-year last week as trade was boosted by good weather and the start of the Easter holidays.
Of the three trading directorates, electrical and home technology led the way with a 14.9% increase on the same week last year. The best performing categories were audio and gaming, vision and accessories.
Home sales grew by 13.2% driven by a 200% surge in sales of gift food and seasonal items and a 60% uplift in outdoor living products. Furniture sales rose by 15.7%, boosted by a record week in the half for beds.
Meanwhile fashion sales climbed by 11.4% as trade benefited from strong increases in sales of boyswear, girlswear and men’s brands. Own brand womenswear also put in a good performance while accessories saw an uplift of 17% due to rising sales of sunglasses.
Never Miss a Retail Update!The Newbury, Tamworth and High Wycombe stores were some of the best performing shops in the week which also saw the opening of the retailer’s new store in York.
Online sales grew by 35.8% with trade underpinned by solid traffic and conversion.
Paula Nickolds, John Lewis buying and brand director, said: “The first week of the Easter break for many, great weather and the opening of our new shop in York combined to deliver a strong week’s trading with increases in all areas delivering a 13% gain on last year.
“Our Easter Weekend event will give real focus to our offer and with our operations and stocks in good shape, we are well placed to maximise trade during this important period.”
