DEPARTMENT STORES

John Lewis shows the way with 13.6% sales uptick

Published 05.01.2012 06:00 | Last Updated 05.01.2012 06:00

Retail bellwether John Lewis says its furniture and home offer led the way as it provided one of the strongest indications yet that mid-market operators enjoyed a decent end to 2011.

The department store group said yesterday that Home sales rose by 13.6 per cent in the five weeks to 31 December, with the company saying it made market share gains across all product groups.

Overall John Lewis revenue climbed 9.3 per cent to £596m during the period. Other categories were also in ascent, but not to the same degree as its Home department. Electricals and Home Technology sales were 4 per cent higher, while Fashion, including its Beauty department, rose 10.3 per cent.

Andy Street, John Lewis md, said: "Sales during the four weeks to Christmas Eve were outstanding. During that period we broke the record for our biggest week ever with a sterling total of £133.1m for the week ending December 17th."

However, he sounded a note of caution regarding furniture sales post-Christmas, adding: "The first week of Clearance saw a very strong start, but against the pre-VAT increase week in 2010, it was always going to be a challenge to match sales, particularly with ‘big ticket’ items."