Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
John Lewis enjoyed strong trade across both shops and online last week (to April 9).
The department store group posted total sales of £79.2m for the period, up 15.1% on last year.
Retail sales director Barry Matheson said this result was flattered by an extra day’s trade, due to the non like-for-like timing of Easter Sunday.
He noted that Home had “a very positive week” with sales up 21.7% year on year, and the Textiles and Furniture categories proving particularly strong.
But EHT (Electricals & Home Technology) was “the stand-out success story” of the week thanks in part to the launch on April 7 of the chain’s new smart home concept.
This is a 1,000sq ft space at John Lewis’ Oxford Street branch, which boasts futuristic gadgets for every part of the home showcased in a real-life setting.
Products featured in the smart home experience include Philips Hue lighting; Sonos PLAY:5 Wireless Music System; Nest Protect 2nd Generation Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm; AEG BS8836880B ProCombi Plus Smart Oven and the Netatmo Welcome Home Camera with Face Recognition.
Barry commented that the unveiling of this retail space, combined with a homepage takeover on johnlewis.com, caused a 19% uplift in sales of Smart Home products at the London store compared with the previous week.
EHT finished 12.7% up for the week, with large electricals bolstering overall figures for the category.
