Department store John Lewis reported a record week of sales last week as Christmas shopping drove footfall, with sales up 15 per cent on the same week last year to £142 million.
In the week to Saturday December 8th 2012, sales surged both in store and online and johnlewis.com, which benefitted from last week‘s Cyber Monday and saw sales of £7.3 million on the day, saw record sales last week of £42 million.
Wintry conditions helped boost fashion sales as men‘s and women‘s fashion saw sales of coats, scarves and knitwear rise while luxurious items such as cashmere, handbags and jewellery posted an increase as Christmas gifts flew out of stores.
Apps toys continue to prove popular for the retailer, which has a dedicated floor to toys at its Oxford Street flagship while EHT remains a primary focus for shoppers as tablets, headphones and DAB radios remain high on the wish list.
Christmas trees and accompanying decorations are faring well as the festive period gets well underway while shoppers look to home improvements ahead of entertaining, with bed linen, curtain and lighting sales growing over the week.
Andrew Murphy, John Lewis Retail Director welcomed the strong results, commenting: ” We are delighted to have achieved these new sales records, particularly in a market which is still economically challenging.
“It shows that customers trust John Lewis to deliver the perfect Christmas for their family and friends, whether it is finding the right gift or finding the right touches to decorate their homes.
“It is great to see a really festive buzz in our shops and all our Partners are focused on providing the levels of service and advice our customers expect from us, particularly at this key Christmas period.”
Last night, John Lewis‘ theme song to its Christmas advert ‘The Power of Love‘ reached Number One in the official UK chart, following news from analyst firm Conlumino last week that the ad ‘The Snowman‘s Journey‘ was the firm favourite among viewers.
