John Lewis weekly sales up 20.6%
John Lewis celebrated a buoyant start to its new financial year as sales rose 20.6% last week.
In the week ending 2 February, electrical and home technology sales jumped 47.1% driven by strong trade in tablets, large electricals and televisions.
Fashion sales, which rose 11.1%, benefited from the launch of new collections including the retailer’s latest Somerset by Temperley range. Beauty sales were also buoyant, with customers taking advantage of the retailer’s price match against a competitor’s promotion.
Sales in the Home directorate were mixed, although rising by 8%. Gift food and lighting products were among the best performers while the retailer’s Cookshop achieved a double-figure increase.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Online sales at johnlewis.com were up 48.5% as the retailer launched 30,000 new SKUs onto the website. John Lewis said its online traffic was strong with a significant number of customers accessing the site on their mobile devices.
In the shops, sales growth was helped by snow disruption in some areas of the country at the same time last year. Tamworth was the best performer, increasing its sales by 36.4% and growing its foothold in the local catchment area. Trafford, Leicester, Swindon and Milton Keynes and Cardiff also beat the 20% mark.
Maggie Porteous, head of selling operations, new format, John Lewis said: “The momentum from last year certainly seems to be continuing into the new trading year, and with fabulous new products, improved availability in shops and online, and superb service in our shops, there is every sense that this should continue this week.”
