John Lewis continued its better start to September with another week of improved trading in the seven days to September 10.
Sales rose 4% excluding VAT, or 5.8% if VAT is included. Sales were 23.3% better than the same week two years ago.
Online continued its powerful growth, up 35.5%, while the standout performances among the stores came from Oxford Street and Edinburgh, both recording increases of over 9%. Nevertheless two-thirds of its stores which have been open for more than a year experienced a decline in sales, with Aberdeen and Reading both down by over 13%and the At Home store in Croydon falling a whopping 27% a year after opening.
Among the product assortments childrenswear was up 25% on the back of strong last minute back to school sales. Overall fashion was up 7%. In home, smaller accessories and gifts did best in a week when sales rose 2.4%, while electricals and home technology was up 9.2% with accessories driving growth along with improved demand for big screen televisions.
Earlier this week John Lewis reported a 54% fall in first half profits. In today’s Retail Week, managing director Andy Street explains how he plans to tweak the At Home format after its performance came in below expectations.
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