Beauty, swim and casualwear drive John Lewis sales in latest week

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 27, 2017

John Lewis’s Fashion department returned to growth in the seven days to June 24, even though the business overall saw sales dipping slightly.

While total John lewis sales fell 0.5% to £96.17m, as a later start to its Clearance sales this year caused a shift sales, the Fashion department made the most of consumer interest in casualwear.

Fashion overall was up only 1.5% but it was a rise nonetheless at a time when UK consumers were feeling extra cautious, if not nervous, over the economy, the election fallout and Brexit.

The company said that both men’s and women’s casualwear saw double-digit growth and sales within the swimwear and nightwear category were also up, with a surge of 26.5% as customers prepared for their summer holidays.

Beauty, one category that has outperformed for much of the year, had a good week too with sales rising by 9.8%.

EHT (electricals and home technology) was also strong, rising by 9.8%. It was a record week for small electricals, as sales of fans continued to soar due to the hot weather across the UK. Mobile and photography also enjoyed a strong week, with sales up 46.4%, driven by a “compelling offer” on the new red iPhone. Apple also helped drive a sales uplift of 13.3% in tablets and computers, with the new iPad proving popular with customers.

But Home category sales were down 11.3%, with turnover affected by that earlier fall of Clearance in 2016. Outdoor living, however, continued it's stellar performance with sales for the week up by 39% as customers made the most of the hot weather to spend time outside.