John Lewis sales reach 2016 record new store and beauty investments pay off

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 1, 2016

It was a record week for John Lewis in the seven days to October 29 as the retailer topped £100bn for the first time this year. And what drove the 7.2% rise to £102.8m? Mainly electronics, with fashion showing a more muted 4% increase.

The fashion category continued to be boosted by the new stores in Leeds and Chelmsford, but strength at the existing store in Bluewater also helped.

Denim Wardrobe by Trilogy launched at its Bluewater location last week and the company said it has proved “an instant hit” with customers in the Kent catchment area.

The retailer’s investment in revamping its beauty halls also appeared to be paying off as they open across the UK with the Cribbs Causeway store getting new Marc Jacobs, Urban Decay, Jo Malone and La Mer counters last week.

The Home directory had a good week too, reporting sales up 5.5%. Halloween was the standout story for the category, with Halloween products up 116.7%.

It was also a record week for the West Elm collaboration, with the company saying customers are already looking to prepare their homes for Christmas entertaining. And its newly announced collaboration with Play-Doh was also popular with customers starting to think about Christmas gifts.