Waitrose enjoyed a record week’s sales outside of Easter or Christmas as the heatwave swept across the UK.

Sales at the John Lewis Partnership-owned supermarket were up 13.3 per cent in the week to July 4, with hot weather categories unsurprisingly leading the way. Waitrose sold more yogurts, ice cream, quiche and sandwiches than in any week in its history.

The first week of Clearance for sister department store chain John Lewis was more muted, with sales down 2.3 per cent on last year as the hot weather and Wimbledon kept people away from the stores. Cambridge and Peter Jones were the only stores with sales up on the same week last year.

The electricals departments fared best, driven by sales of cooling equipment, and John Lewis recorded its highest ever sales of fans in a week.

 

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