John Lewis boasts record sales in the Christmas trading period
JOHN Lewis yesterday reported bumper sales over the festive period boosted by online orders, which now account for a quarter of the company’s total sales.
The department store group reported £684.8m of sales for the five weeks to 29 December, including a record take of £31.7m for the first day of its sales in stores on 27 December. Like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new stores, rose 13 per cent in the period.
The employee-owned group said online sales for the five weeks rose 44.3 per cent on a year ago, and johnlewis.com now accounted for a quarter of the total John Lewis business, which has 39 stores across the UK. Tech sales were up 30.9 per cent, while fashion and beauty rose 10.4 per cent.
Managing director Andy Street said: “I am delighted that John Lewis has delivered record breaking sales figures over the Christmas period and the first five days of clearance.
“In an economic climate which continues to be volatile, to have achieved these results is testimony to the strength of the John Lewis brand and the commitment of all our partners to give outstanding service.”