Poor fashion performance pulls down John Lewis sales

Overall, the department store chain’s sales decreased 3.1% to £74.4m in the week to February 25. In the four weeks of its first half, its sales dropped 0.1%.

In fashion, sales were down 7.8% while home sales dropped 4.2%. Electricals and home technology provided a lone bright spot, up 2.5%, driven by connected home and audio products.

Online trade director Mark Felix said that both home and fashion divisions had been negatively affected by last year’s price-match of a competitor’s promotion, which didn’t take place this year.

He added: “This was particularly apparent in branded fashion, however our own-brand designer collaborations including Somerset by Alice Temperley and Bruce by Bruce Oldfield were up on the year.”

At sister grocer Waitrose, sales dropped slightly, down 0.4% to £125.35m in the week to February. In the first four weeks, sales rose 1.3% when compared to last year.

Waitrose commercial director Rupert Thomas singled out Pancake Day as a sales driver, adding that maple syrup sales were up 171%.

Overall, the partnership saw sales drop 1.4% to £199.75m in the week to February 25. In the first four weeks, sales rose 0.8%.