Thaw drives sales rise at John Lewis

Turnover at sister grocery chain Waitrose climbed 15.2% in the week to reach £88.6m.

John Lewis Region B selling operations director David Barford said: “Trade was helped by the snow finally melting away. This gave us a buoyant start to the week which carried on through the week as milder conditions stayed with us.”

He said there had been a continued “healthy sell-through rate” of clearance stock and shoppers were also keen to buy new season’s lines. Home, was the best performing category year-on-year as sales climbed 26.9%, driven by furniture which advanced 36.9%.

Fashion sales were up 21.3% year-on-year. Children’s and womenswear were the best performing categories, up 24.5% and 24.3% respectively.

Barford said: “Our shops take on a new look as we move out of clearance with the fitness, value and Valentine’s promotions looking vibrant and attracting customers to shop these ranges as they really show the depth and variety of our offer.”

The retailer’s online sales rose 39.9% versus last year.

Waitrose reported that sales of home cooking products such as kitchenware and dinner party ingredients were strong. Faggots were the week’s “star performer” while the Oxford Street foodhall sold its first Nebuchadnezzar of champagne. The bottle, which takes two people to pour, was on promotion for £699.