// John Lewis Partnership weekly sales decline 2.8%
// Waitrose sales drop 2.8%
// John Lewis sales down by 2.7%
John Lewis Partnership’s weekly sales have declined by 2.8 per cent this week, as mixed weather across the country continued to impact trading.
For the week ending August 3, the partnership’s overall weekly sales came in at £201.03 million, compared to the same time year when it recorded £206.75 million.
For the year to date, sales slipped 0.9 per cent year-on-year.
Total sales at Waitrose was down 2.8 per cent for the week, and stablemate John Lewis was almost on par with a 2.7 per cent decline.
The partnership’s grocery chain once again saw a year-on-year drop in sales across all its sectors: ambient items were down three per cent, chilled fruit and vegetables were down 2.2 per cent, while home and merchandise sales dropped 5.4 per cent.
However, Waitrose had a good week of wine sales, with English and Welsh wine proving particularly popular.
Champagne also had a sparkling week with sales up 20 per cent, and pizza and pasta sales increased as shoppers looked for convenient cooking options.
Meanwhile, a new range of seasonal items saw John Lewis’ fashion department outperform other departments.
Fashion sales for the week were up 5.8 per cent, driven by sales of womenswear which were up 21.7 per cent and womens accessories which were up 8.3 per cent.
The retailer also saw a five per cent uptick in new items in autumn/winter womenswear.
On the other hand, home sales were down 7.1 per cent, and electrical and home technology sales were down 6.6 per cent.
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