John Lewis weekly sales up 11.2%
John Lewis said its sales remained strong in the final full week before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games as sales increased by 11.2% on the same week last year.
In the week ending 27 July, sales in the electricals and home technology directorate were buoyant, up 32.5% on the prior year. Communication technology was the star performer with sales up 83.4% on last year as iPad sales continued to be strong. Vision sales were up 18.9%.
Fashion sales increased by 7.6% with four of the five buying groups achieving sales growth on the year. Womenswear and Women’s Accessories and Beauty achieved a 25% uplift in sales of new product.
Home had mixed results across the buying groups delivering an overall increase of 0.9% on last year. Stand-out results were in Bath Shop, with 14.5% growth on last year, and Bedlinen up 8.5%. Lighting continued to trade well, fuelled by the unseasonally gloomy weather early on in the week.
Never Miss a Retail Update!London 2012 trade in Home grew well week on week with gift collections seeing the biggest year-on-year growth of 60%. The retailer said it was l selling over 1,000 units of the replica Olympic torches each week. Other strong sellers include the Team GB Lego Minifigures.
Susan Young, head of merchandising, central operations, John Lewis, said: “The momentum around London 2012 is unlikely to drop, and four of our stores have been clad in London 2012 wraps, which will be in place until September. Stratford sales are weighted towards London 2012 products, with one customer buying £10,000 worth of coins and the athletes and their entourages boosting Home sales as they added their own touch to the Olympic Village.
“This week sees the end of the first half with fantastic achievements behind us and everything to compete for as we go into the second half.”
