John Lewis weekly sales up 7%
Sales at John Lewis rose 7% last week although the combination of milder weather and tougher comparative figures from last year meant that sales growth was lower than the double digit increases seen in recent weeks.
Electricals and home technology was the best performing directorate with sales rising by 12.5% despite a drop in footfall due to customers holding back on purchases in anticipation of new product launches.
In Fashion sales rose by 6% driven by strong trade in womenswear while sales in the Home directorate increased by 4.7%.
Online sales were up 31% boosted by a 39% increase in fashion sales.
Never Miss a Retail Update!In the shops there were mixed results with 16 stores achieving growth. Swindon was the top performing store with sales rising by 8.8%, followed by Sheffield, Aberdeen and Croydon.
The retailer’s new shop in Exeter, which completed its first full week of trade in the week, performed ahead of expectations with particularly strong sales in womenswear, menswear and beauty.
Maggie Porteous, head of selling operations, new format at John Lewis said: “This week brings a host of opportunities! We will be launching Windows 8 and the Kindle Fire which will no doubt increase traffic online and footfall into our shops. That, coupled with the forecast colder weather, should give us a great boost at the beginning of the half-term week, which traditionally heralds the start of Christmas shopping!”
