Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
In a week (to September 17) which saw unseasonably hot weather, John Lewis sales were steady at £79.4m: +0.9% on last year.
Home posted sales of +0.7% year-on-year with big ticket items performing well, such as furniture +13%.
The department store group’s buying director of home Christine Kasoulis said: “We’re also seeing our new Autumn/Winter ranges hit the mark with customers, while upholstery was +21% year-on-year as shoppers spruced up their homes for the new season.”
She added that EHT (Electricals & Home Technology) had a “strong” week at +9.9% year-on-year. “We saw customers snap up the new iPhone 7 in our shops and online, and headphones continued to sell well at +101%, driven by wireless headphones,” she said. This week sees the launch of several new products including Oculus Rift, PlayStation and Fitbit.
Fashion had a tougher week finishing on -8.0% for the year, hit by the September heatwave which saw record temperatures for the time of the year. But, Christine noted: “Our new collection, Modern Rarity, continued to power ahead and was among our best-performing womenswear brands.”
