John Lewis has good Easter with women's casualwear up over 40%

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 19, 2017

John lewis has been saying for some time that its weekly sales in some areas would eventually be boosted by the late Easter and it was proved right in the seven days to to April 15.

The retailer’s sales rose 11.7% to £84.15 million as the Fashion directory continued its strong performance, up 10.3%. Much of that rise came as customers transitioned their wardrobes for the summer months, buoyed by milder weather in much of the UK over recent weeks.

Women’s casualwear alone saw an uplift of 41%, while menswear also enjoyed double-digit growth with sales up 14.4%. The company seems to still be benefitting from its recent launch of the denim-based lifestyle own-brand And/Or.

Beauty, wellbeing and leisure performed well too, rising 14.7%, with toys and books seeing a strong week of sales over the school holidays.

Sales in the Home directory finally saw an uplift after some weeks of sluggish sales with a rise of 11.1% in the latest seven days. Seasonal gift food drove this increase, with sales for the category rising by a huge 260.9% as customers prepared for Easter celebrations. Cooking and dining also saw growth this week, rising 15.7%, as customers entertained family and friends over the bank holiday break.

And the electrcials and tech directory, EHT, also had a strong week, rising 15.2% on last year. Communication technology enjoyed growth of 25.5% as sales of mobile phones and photography rose by 39.1%, and tablets and computers by 21.9%