Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
John Lewis is expecting a ‘very late surge in trade’, as the breakdown of last week’s business shows that there is still plenty of gift buying to be done for the festive season.
The department store group’s managing director Andy Street said: “By our recent standards, and if viewed in isolation, last week (to December 13) could be judged as somewhat challenging. Nevertheless, after the exuberance of Black Friday total sales remain 10% up for December as a whole.”
Fashion took the lead as cold weather merchandise found favour, while home just crossed the line as furniture continued to excel. “In both areas all is set for the gifting finale,” Andy Street said.
He added that online continued to prosper and among the shops, the stand-out success came from Poole, with encouraging growth from Exeter and Ipswich, alongside Cardiff and Stratford.
