• John Lewis sales up 11.5% to £89.87m
  • Waitrose sales up 2% year-on-year to £126.16m
  • Total partnership sales up 5.7% to £216.03

Sales at John Lewis came in at £89.9m last week – 11.5% higher than in the same seven-day period last year.

The department store retailer said cooler weather supported a 14.6% jump in fashion sales for the week to October 8, with womenswear leaping 26.5%.

Sales across its electricals and home technology category were also up, growing 16.1% year on year for the week.

John Lewis attributed this, in part, to sales of a new GoPro, which is exclusive to the retailer for two weeks.

In its home department, sales were up 5.2% last week, with fitted furniture up 29% and bed sales up 17%.

The retailer said the first full-week of sales at its new store in Chelmsford were strong, supported by a “good performance in fashion product areas”.

Waitrose

Waitrose sales were up 2% year on year, totalling £126.16m for the seven-day period.

The upmarket grocer said trade was spearheaded by the second phase of its Waitrose 1 product launch, with Waitrose 1 cakes and chilled meals leading the march.

It added that the “mix of weather” last week, with warmer temperatures than the same week last year, resulted in double-digit growth for both salads and hot pies.

Total sales across the John Lewis partnership came in at £216.03m – up 5.7% on the same week last year.