Matheson said: “Our shops look in fantastic shape at the moment and we have outstanding products, well promoted in shops and online. The sense you get everywhere is that partners are prepared better than ever to offer our customers outstanding service. However, we are not immune from the reality of the economic crisis.”
He continued: “The newspapers are full of stories about the impact of the credit crunch spreading to the real economy and retailers are frequently being cited as evidence of that. But that in no way diminishes my conviction that we will once again outperform the competition as we get closer to Christmas.”
Supermarket chain Waitrose suffered a 4.6 per cent sales decline last week, although alcohol and meat sales were strong. Waitrose commercial director Richard Hodgson was optimistic that as Christmas approaches performance will pick up.
He said: “Our stores are now bustling, with a festive look, party food and gifts, and branches have reported steady sales on seasonal assortments. Our range of entirely British poinsettias is selling well and the arrival of Christmas trees in stores from December 1 should provide a further boost to the festive theme.”
Overall, the John Lewis Partnership recorded a sales fall of 9.1 per cent in the week to November 15.
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