John Lewis delivered a solid sales performance in the week to April 5, but stablemate supermarket chain Waitrose’s weekly sales plummeted by more than 10 per cent.

The department store chain reported a 2 per cent rise in sales, driven partly by a strong fashion performance, particularly in separates, knitwear and men’s suits. Branded products such as Hobbs, Liz Earle and Clarins all sold well. However, John Lewis warned that sun-related lines continue to have a tough time.

The desire to stay indoors, because of the poor weather, helped to lift sales of TVs by 14 per cent.

But John Lewis Partnership sister company Waitrose delivered its worst trading figures for some time, with sales down 10.7 per cent for the week.

Waitrose supply chain director Mark Williamson said: “A difficult week all round, with the later school holidays impacting on many branches.” He added that a sharp downturn in temperatures at the weekend had affected sales.

Grocery experts will scrutinise Waitrose’s figures over the coming weeks to gauge whether the weeks’ figures are a one-off or if they mark the start of a slowdown for one of the sector’s best-performing grocers in recent years.

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