Department store group John Lewis revealed a pick up in sales today after colder weather encouraged shoppers into its stores last week.
Strong demand for electrical items and women’s clothing ranges contributed to a 2.3% hike in sales to £45m – its best weekly haul since its clearance sale at the start of July.
The performance for the week to last Saturday compared with a 0.1% decline for the nine weeks to that date, and represented a much-needed boost after profits at the department stores business fell 21% in the six months to 30 July.
Sales were stronger in 13 of the chain’s 27 outlets, including strong gains at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton.
John Lewis said the arrival of more seasonal weather conditions lifted sales of fashion and accessories, with strong demand for handbags and shoes – especially women’s boots. Overall, womenswear sales rose 1.6% compared with the same week last year.
The strongest growth came from electrical items, with sales up almost 12% after “spectacular” sales of products such as MP3 music players.
Gareth Thomas, director of retail operations at John Lewis, said: “Slightly cooler, wetter, more autumnal weather helped put our customers in a frame of mind to spend.”
He added that Christmas wrapping paper and card ranges were set for a strong run this week.
The wider John Lewis group also includes Waitrose, which saw total sales increase by 9%, compared with a 10.6% hike for the nine-week period.
John Lewis recently revealed a 3% profits fall for the six months to 30 July, even though Waitrose posted a 17% improvement. It said at the time that it had suffered from the worst retail conditions in 15 years.
References: EGi News 07/10/05
