Continuing on from its strong Christmas trading period, employee owned retail group John Lewis saw its sales rise 9.9 per cent year-on-year last week, results released today show.
The John Lewis department store chain experienced double-digit sales growth in the last week of its clearance period, with trading for the seven days ending January up 14.4 per cent on the same week last year.
Of the 32 of its stores which were 12 months ago only a dozen saw trading recede on last year‘s level, a decent performance given the early start to the festive sales period this year however last Janury‘s rise in VAT did weaken sales figures for the comparative period in 2011.
Poole was the retailer‘s strongest performing store with sales up 11 per cent on last year, while its online channel posted a thundering 50.4 per cent annual increase in trading.
Sarah Morris, Head of Merchandising Operations at John Lewis, said: “Online had an outstanding sales result of +50.4 per cent on last year with all directorates growing sales by over 25 per cent.
“Customers were making the most of our multi-channel offer last week with PACT transactions up +35 per cent on last year and click & collect sales at almost double last year‘s level.”
Electricals & home technology goods sold particularly well last week with the division delivering a 31.3 per cent rise in trading, and Morris said that the impending digital switchover boosted TV sales in the south of England and that iPad sales had tripled on last year.
Morris added: “We hope to continue this sales momentum for the last two weeks of the financial year.
“The main opportunity is to surprise and delight customers with strong launches of our new season product in Fashion and Home as we gear up for an earlier launch of the Home catalogue and more spring Fashion stock than last year.”
Waitrose, the John Lewis Partnership‘s grocery chain, saw a respectable rise in sales of 7.1 per cent during the week, with mixed weather reportedly boosting both warm and cold weather products.
