Member Article

John Lewis sales surged in Christmas run up

British retail giant John Lewis has experienced a surge in sales in the run up to Christmas, with significant growth in comparison with 2011 and 2010.

Total sales rose by 14.8% to £684.8m in the five weeks up to 29th December, in comparison with the same period last year.

When compared with the corresponding period in 2010, sales rose by 25.5% for the store, with particularly strong growth in online sales.

The company, which is partnered with supermarket chain Waitrose, found that electrical and home technology sales rose by 30.9%, while fashion and beauty sales increased by 10.4%.

Home goods sales were up by 6.2%, while purchases online significantly increased by 44.3% from 2011.

In addition to this end-of-year success, the retailer was highly decorated throughout 2012, and won “Britain’s favourite electricals retailer” and “Best multichannel retailer” from the Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Index, and the PayPal Etail Awards respectively.

John Lewis’ managing director, Andy Street, commented: “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.

“Sales at johnlewis.com broke through the £800m milestone during December supported by an excellent performance from our Click and Collect facility which allows customers the flexibility to buy online and collect from John Lewis and Waitrose outlets.”

In the last week of shopping between 23rd and 29th December, sales rose by 11.5% to £112.9m, and John Lewis reported a record £31.7m of sales on the first day of clearance on 27th December.

Mr Street concluded: “Above all, our success can be attributed to the inspiring and innovative products we offer our customers coupled with their trust that we will always provide the best quality and value and will always fulfil our “Never Knowingly Undersold” promise.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .