Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Sales for John Lewis rose by 3.3% last week (to February 8), despite the continuing rain and the London tube strike.
Many branches in the department store group were down against last year, although some performed well – notably High Wycombe, with sales up 22.1%, Chichester (21.5%), Tamworth (14.4%) and Newbury (9.4%). Online had a strong week’s trade too: up 17.7% against last year.
For product categories, the electricals and home technology assortments were up 5.4% versus last year, with small electricals climbing 16.8%. For home, sales were up 1.9%, with the best performances coming from home accessories, gift collections, and lighting.
David Barford, director of selling, London and South, said: “The weather continues to be very unsettled and Valentine’s Day is upon us, but as we go into half term, the opportunities are there for us to continue to grow our trade across all our channels.”
