John Lewis managing director Andy Street said that the performance was âbetter than we had expectedâ. âAlmost all shops beat their own targetsâ, he said.
Street said that comparisons will be hard to read in the run up to Easter, which fell three weeks earlier last year.
The performance in John Lewisâ home department was its best week in the half to date. Forward orders were âmore resilientâ, said Street. The performance from electricals and home technology was âsubduedâ.
Fashion benefitted from the early spring weather, with childrenswear, haberdashery, toys and babywear singled out for their performance. John Lewis will launch a fashion campaign this weekend, featuring supermodel Karen Elson. (See exclusive sneak preview in this weekâs Retail Week).
Street said: âNow is the time for us to be fighting for every sale and surpass our expectations in this hugely competitive year,â he said.
Sales at grocery division Waitrose in the week fell 0.1 per cent toÂŁ78.9m. The warm weather towards the end of the week drove sales in ranges including salads and lettuces, cider, appetisers, cold pies and continental meats.
The retailer said that many branches reported customers asking in store about its new Essential Waitrose value range.
Total group sales at the John Lewis Partnership dropped 1.6 per cent toÂŁ125.98m in the week.
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