Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
John Lewis posted a 6.4% rise in sales for last week (to February 15), moving up on the first two weeks of the year.
From a merchandise perspective, Electricals and Home Technology grew the fastest against the prior year, up 9.7%, while love was in the air in Home, with Valentine’s Day merchandise up 7.5% versus last year. This was allied to a strong performance from the department store group’s House own-label, up 15% – and together they drove Home sales to a 2.9% gain against last year.
John Lewis EHT buying director Ed Connolly said: “Performance in shops was varied, with some decreases seen at one end of the spectrum balancing out strong trade at the other end with results from Tamworth and High Wycombe meriting particular focus. But a very pleasing online gain of 26.4% offset any impact to the business from the adverse weather conditions seen across much of the UK. Half term opportunity lies ahead in week four as we look to continue our sales momentum.”
