Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
As Christmas shopping starts to ramp up, John Lewis reported sales of £106m for last week (to Saturday November 5), an increase of 9.7% on the year.
Liz Mihell, head of shop trade for London & the south east, said Home had a solid week, with sales 3.7% “as customers start to think about preparing their homes for Christmas visitors”. Sales of Furniture finished the week up 10%, while Textiles & Carpets reported an 8.4% uplift.
She noted that EHT (Electricals & Home Technology) had “a storming week”, up 17.6% on last year. Sales of Apple MacBooks, Sonos speakers and smart home products all helped to bolster the category, with the launch of the PlayStation Pro this week “set to continue to drive EHT sales for the week ahead”.
Fashion saw sales climb 8.6% on the year, with sales of women’s shoes a stand-out favourite: up 19% as customers purchase winter boots as the weather grows colder. Sales of women’s fashion accessories were up 19.4% as customers sought out gloves and scarves, and Beauty continued to perform well with sales up 12.4%.
Liz concluded: “This week we’re looking forward to sharing our 2016 Christmas advertising campaign with customers when it launches on the morning of Thursday November 10.”
