John Lewis Partnership’s weekly sales figures were down year on year, despite record-breaking temperatures over the recent bank holiday weekend.
Total sales at John Lewis were down 5.5% for the week year on year and were down across most of the major categories. Fashion sales were down 4.4%, electricals and technology sales were down 5.3% and homewares were down 7%.
Despite the downturn in sales, there were some bright spots for the retailer – ‘hydration’ sales were up 20%, which it said was “driven by sales of reusable water bottles”.
Sales of fans and air conditioning units increased 132% due to the hot weather.
Its weekly sales totalled £206.96m for the week.
Sales at Waitrose were 0.6% higher excluding fuel, driven by “strong sales of drinks, with top-performing ranges including rose wines and beers”.
Ambient products saw a 1% increase, while sales of chilled, fruit and vegetables, bakery and meat products were up by 0.8%. However, home and general merchandise sales were down 3.7%.
Waitrose said it also saw “an increase in other sunshine-related food and drink – including ice creams, soft fruits and barbecue meats”.
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