Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Total sales for John Lewis last week (to Saturday August 11) were down 1.8% on the same week last year.
Simon Coble, trading director of the department store group, said: “The hot weather in the first part of the week continued to impact trade.
“Home sales were down 7%. However, customers have begun to buy new Autumn/Winter products. Our new season own-brand House range is proving popular, with sales of the brand up 19% on the same week last year. In Gifts, Cook and Dine, outdoor cooking and party products continue to perform well, along with outdoor furniture, where sales were up 18%.”
He noted that Electrical and Home Technology sales were up 0.9%. Communications Technology products were up 8.8%, mainly due to pre-order sales of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tablet and strong sales of smart watches. Sales of vacuum cleaners were up 47% on the same period last year.
Fashion sales were up 0.7%, with a standout performance from womenswear, up 7.3%.
