John Lewis fashion sales hit by unseasonal weather

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Nov 13, 2018

John Lewis’ bet on winter clothing failed to yield the expected results last week as a stretch of mild temperatures sent fashion sales down 11.1%.

The department store chain, which recently rebranded to include “& Partners”, said total sales for the week to 10 November were down 8.3% due to unseasonably mild weather and a price matching effort it carried out this time last year.

While some parts of the UK experienced fierce wind and rain, there was an unseasonal surge in temperature in the east towards the end of the week, with highs of up to 18C.

Shoppers may have left the John Lewis’ clothing department empty-handed but the retailer said premium women’s accessories were up 11% on last year, and that watches and shoes are doing well.

Home sales were also affected by the weather, down 11.2% on the same week last year, while electrical and home technology sales fell 2.8%.

Gift food provided some relief, up 6.3%, as well as mobile products, small electrical products and hardware accessories.