John Lewis sales jump in bumper week for fashion

The department store’s total sales jumped 8.9% year on year to £79.8m in the seven days to July 22.

This was driven in part by a 15.5% year-on-year jump in fashion sales. Womenswear sales rocketed 34.5%, as the retailer’s own-label denim lifestyle brand And/Or performed strongly.

Beauty, wellbeing and leisure sales were also strong – up 13.4%, driven by strong trading at the retailer’s beauty counters.

The department store also had one of its biggest weeks of the year for online traffic, and home sales grew 11%.

Waitrose

Sales at Waitrose slipped 1.1% last week to £129.4m.

According to the upmarket grocer’s retail director Ben Stimson, last week’s “variable weather” was to blame for the year-on-year slip. The comparable week in 2016 was the hottest of the year.

Its strongest products included prepared meals (up 14%), soup (up 18%) and hot drinks (up 8%).

Waitrose cafés also enjoyed a 7% sales increase.

Overall sales across the John Lewis Partnership advanced 2.5% last week to £209m.