Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Sales rose above the £100m threshold for the first time this year in the week to November 15 at John Lewis.
Sales at the department store group grew 7.2% on last year, which was 13.7% up on the previous week, while online sales were up 15%.
John Lewis director of retail operations development Simon Russell said: “The ramp up to Christmas is certainly under way! Top of mind for customers in this week was giving their homes a pre-Christmas makeover, with sales of furniture and home entertaining a driving force.”
Home showed the strongest signs of this trend with sales up 9% year-on-year. Lighting had a record week with yearly sales rising 10.4%. Guest beds and bed linen were particularly strong performers, up 50% and 11% year-on-year respectively, along with another strong week for big ticket assortments such as floorcoverings, furniture and beds. Seasonal gifting and Christmas Shop saw some healthy increases, too.
EHT (Electrical & Home Technology) saw sales grow by 4.7% on the year. Large screen TVs over 50in led this charge, up 65% year-on-year. Large appliances, particularly range cookers, American-style fridge freezers and built-in ovens, also saw good growth.
In shops, both the ‘Countdown to Christmas’ and ‘My John Lewis’ customer events drove footfall, with ‘stand-out performances’ from John Lewis At Home shops including Newbury, Chichester and Poole along with two of the chain’s more recent larger store openings at Exeter and Stratford City.
