A week of two halves for John Lewis

The start of the summer heat led to a week of two halves for John Lewis.

Department store group enjoyed strong sales in the early part of the week to June 14 and trade slowing as the sun started to make an appearance at the end of the week, finishing in a 4.6% increase on last year.

Online had a particularly good week, with sales growing 21% on last year. Click & Collect was the facility of choice for customers, with a 46% increase in sales.

The footfall into shops was slightly slower than previous weeks, but High Wycombe led the way on the increases, delivering a sales growth of 21%, with Tamworth not far behind at 20% up.

Electrical and Home Technology (EHT) led the buying areas at 10.6% up, with cooling unsurprisingly popular with customers, delivering a 600% increase. Audio was dominant last week driven by a strong performance in portable speakers as customers move outside to enjoy a summer of sport.

The weather also prompted strong growth in outdoor living, picnic and barbecue assortments in Home, with slower sales on furniture towards the end of the week balancing out to deliver -1.4% on last year.

John Lewis director of retail services Barry Matheson said: “Looking ahead, we have some fantastic opportunities to come with the promise of more good weather set to deliver continued strong performance of our television, seasonal clothing and outdoor living ranges.”