John Lewis shoppers in ‘Autumn buying mode’
Published: 18 October 2016 – 14:38
Ongoing cooler weather meant shoppers were firmly in the Autumn buying mode last week (to October 15), according to John Lewis.
Sales at the department store group totalled £90.6m: an increase of 8.5% on the year.
John Lewis commercial director Paula Nickolds said EHT (Electricals & Home Technology) had a “storming” week bolstered by new product launches, and finished the week with sales up 19.5%.
Audio and Connected Home products saw the biggest sales increase at 28.1%, with Nest devices in new colour options a standout favourite. The Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Protect and Nest Cam all take care of different parts of your home. For example, the Nest Learning Thermostat learns what temperatures you like, turns itself down when you’re away and connects to your phone.
Fashion sales were up 7.7% on the year. Customers reacted to the drop in temperature by purchasing items of clothing to wrap up warm in, with cool weather fashion items up 12%.
But Paula Nickolds added that Home sales were “more challenging” and finished the week at -0.5%. However, lighting saw a sales rise of 6.4% as customers looked to light up their homes as the evenings become darker.
