John Lewis fashion sales boosted by warmer weather

John Lewis posted a rise in revenues last week as the promise of warmer weather drove sales of casual clothing.

Total sales at the department store chain climbed 1.1% to £76.3m in the week to May 20.

Fashion sales jumped 4.9% compared to the same week a year ago, with womenswear growing 7% and menswear 6.3%.

John Lewis’ beauty, wellbeing and leisure category also performed well, delivering a 14.2% spike in sales, although this was driven by its policy to price match a competitor’s promotional event.

Electrical and home technology sales edged up 0.8%, but demand for the new Samsung S8, Apple watches and the Fitbit Alta boosted sales of communication technology products 5.8%.

Sales in its home division fell 2.2%, but John Lewis said it registered an increase in customers placing deposits for future orders.

Sister retailer Waitrose suffered a 0.5% decrease in total sales excluding fuel to £126.8m during the same seven-day period.

Waitrose said the figures were against a tough comparable from a year ago, when better weather and heavy marketing activity around the launch of its Waitrose 1 premium range drove sales.

In comparison, the upmarket grocer said sales this year reflected “unsettled weather conditions”, with a split between summery products and those more traditionally associated with colder temperatures.

While sorbet sales surged 64% and sun care sales were strong, sales of frozen vegetables and freshly prepared vegetables also grew 11% and 15% respectively.

Sales of wine rose almost 6%, with Waitrose hoping for further gains as it engages in promotional activity around English Wine Week, which starts on May 27.