Both John Lewis and Waitrose recorded strong sales growth in the week to October 2.

John Lewis sales were up 13.9%, and 21.1% compared to the same week two years ago. Online sales were up 57%, while Oxford Street and Cambridge were the best performing stores.

Fashion led the way, with a 17% increase in sales, within which childrenswear was up 37%. Home and electricals also showed double digit growth. However nine stores experienced sales declines, and Singer analyst Mark Photiades warned “the comparatives start to toughen significantly over the coming weeks.”

Waitrose had a good week too, with sales up 9.4% on the same week last year and 23.5% on a two-year basis. Personnel director Rob Collins said shoppers responded well to Waitrose’s Brand Price Match, where Waitrose has pledged to match Tesco’s prices on 1,000 branded lines.

Soups, ready meals, wines and English plums were among the top-performing lines, while ingredients for the Heston and Delia recipes promoted in Waitrose’s advertising campaign continued to sell well.

 

Topics