Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Clearance ended on a high note for John Lewis, with sales closing up 10.2% on last year for last week (to July 25).
Fashion finished the week up 9.3% on the year for the department store group, with strong performances from Menswear and Childrenswear. In the first full week following the end of term, organised parents were purchasing Back to School clothing, with Schoolwear up 12.1%.
Home sales closed at 14.8% up on the year, with many areas enjoying double-digit increases. There was substantial growth in Furniture, which was up 17.4%, driven by Fitted Furniture at 46.5% up and Living & Dining at 26.6% up.
EHT (Electricals & Home Technology) continued to build momentum on the previous week’s trading, delivering a sales increase of 6.3%. Within this, Vision was notable at 29.0% up, an effect of last year’s post-World Cup lull.
Shop performance was strong, with 36 branches up on last year led by Poole up 26.8%, Southampton up 23.8% and Liverpool up 21.9%. Online sales were up 16.6% on the year, with strong performance from all directorates.
John Lewis operations director Dino Rocos said: “As we move towards the end of the half, we are in a good position to offer our customers a taste of things to come with a strong representation of new season stock arriving online and in our branches.
“The changeable weather is on our side as warmer snaps see increased demand for high summer lines, and short showers encourage our customers to begin to think about Back to School and the all-important second half of the year.”
