Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Total sales at John Lewis for last week (to Saturday October 21) totalled £86.7 million: down 4.7% on last year.
The department store group’s head of shop trade for Scotland and North Barry Matheson attributed the performance to “the continuing mild weather”.
He said Home sales were down 6.6% on the same week last year but “lighting performed well, with sales up 5%, due to our own promotion and price-matching a competitor’s promotion”.
Electrical and Home Technology sales were down 0.5%. However, sales of communications technology products such as smartphones, computers and iPads were up.
Fashion sales were down 6.9% overall but sales of Beauty, Wellbeing and Leisure products rose by 0.5% and sales of jewellery, lingerie and own-brand womenswear ranges also grew.
John Lewis opens its 49th shop today (Tuesday October 24), in Oxford. It is the anchor tenant of the Oxfordshire city’s new 800,000sq ft Westgate Oxford retail-led mixed use development
The retailer has invested £18 million in the 120,000sq ft shop, which comprises three floors of fashion, beauty, homeware, giftware, technology and electrical items.
