John Lewis sales up 3.8% last week despite the weather
John Lewis said its sales rose by 3.8% year-on-year last week despite the poor weather affecting many parts of the UK.
Fashion sales grew by 9.1% with all categories putting in good performances particularly menswear, childrenswear, toys, nursery and haberdashery.
In the home directorate, a strong result from accessories and gifts helped sales to rise by 6.5%. Other top performers included textiles and carpets and cooking and dining products.
Electricals and home technology had a more challenging week with sales down 1.6% on the year. While electrical sales edged up 2% boosted by strong small electrical sales, communication technology sales were more subdued with growth in tablets and computing suppressed following a surge in demand pre-Christmas.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Online sales climbed by 19.2% on the year. The fashion directorate achieved the biggest percentage increase with sales rising by 35%. Home and electricals and home technology achieved gains of 20% and 12% respectively.
The retailer said that the annual January fitness drive boosted sales of sports goods by 27% year-on-year including large sports equipment. In addition, the return to school helped childrenswear sales to increase by 26%.
Jon Williams, director of merchandising operations at John Lewis, said: “As we enter the last week of Clearance customer focus will move firmly to the new season; spring stocks are well set and core availability is strong as we refresh the shops and website to really kickstart spring.”
