Department store chain John Lewis’s sales were in positive territory for the second week running, helped by the clearance of Sale items.

Sales were up 0.4 per cent for the week to July 19.

John Lewis Direct had a strong week, with sales up by more than a third, with web traffic soaring 50 per cent.

John Lewis retail operations director Patrick Lewis said: “As we do every year, for the next couple of weeks we’ll be selling through the last of our special purchase and reduced merchandise, but the major focus will be on the new season’s merchandise. The positive initial reaction gives us a clear opportunity to make the most of [it]. Looking further ahead, we are all primed for the back-to-school season.”

At Waitrose, sales were up by 1.4 per cent compared with last year, despite the start of the school holidays. The supermarket chain said that strong sales of sandwiches and appetisers helped to drive growth.

Topics