John Lewis’s sales were down by 1.2% in the seven days to Saturday as unseasonably warm weather continues to affect sales.
However, week-on-week, sales shot up 15.9% to £98.7m.
The department store retailer saw shoppers buying up decorations for the home such as china, table decorations and Christmas trees. Lighting, bedding and linens all saw “strong” sales uplifts.
Children’s gifts continue to do well, with scooters and Cookie the animatronic dog and kids’ toy the most popular products. IPads and Kindles remained up on sales too.
John Lewis director of selling operations David Barford said: “Despite the continuing warm weather, to have achieved sales so close to last year shows that Christmas shopping is really taking off, albeit a little later than usual.
“John Lewis customers are clearly turning their thoughts to presents, particularly those for children with both ‘hi tech’ and traditional toys proving popular.
“It is also clear that shoppers are appreciating our Never Knowingly Undersold policy of price matching competitors’ prices which, coupled with our renowned customer service and inspirational gift assortment, makes John Lewis their destination of choice.”
John Lewis click and collect sales soared last week, with orders up 75%. Online sales continue to grow by 18% year-on-year.
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