Sales at John Lewis rose 6.9 per cent as compared to the same week last year but blamed unhelpful weather for a sluggish second half of the week trading.
The retailer, which recently completed the refurbishment its High Wycombe store, said total sales at johnlewis.com were up 18.6 per cent compared to last year.
Growth was ‘steady‘ but its Chichester store suffered widespread damage in the wake of flash floods on Wednesday as its Fashion and Beauty sector dipped 0.6 per cent compared to the same time last year. The department store is gearing up for Christmas, and recently predicted its top children‘s gifts for Christmas.
Barry Matheson Director, Retail Services, John Lewis remained upbeat on next week‘s trading prospects. “This week marks the beginning of the very sharp lift towards peak trading. The half term holiday in England, extra footfall from the tablet launch, a price matching extravaganza and the launch of my John Lewis all combine to make this a really exciting week of opportunities,” he said.
Sales at Waitrose were up nine per cent compared to the same week last year as Autumnal weather and the approach of Halloween enveloped Britain.
Spooky home decorations sales shot up 100 per cent with lightbulb sales rising 21 per cent as shoppers prepared for spooky celebrations.
Predictions of stormy conditions for the weekend meant many decided to stay in with slow cook meat up 28 per cent. And The Great British Bake Off continues to encourage cooks to dust off their aprons as sales of cooking bowls whizzed up by 107 per cent, flour rose by 30 per cent and cake sprinkles and decorations were up 25 and 16 per cent respectively as bakers tried their hand at baking.
There was a 10.3 per cent increase in Meat, Fish, Frozen and Dairy products and an 8.3 per cent rise in the Ambient section this week compared to last year as the grocer opened its 300th branch in the UK.
