John Lewis is winner in festive sales chart

John Lewis, the UK’s biggest department store chain, emerged a festive winner with a 6.2 per cent increase in like-for-like sales in the five weeks to December 31.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Jan 2012, 06:00 BST

The group’s stellar performance was helped by a 28 per cent increase in online sales. Total sales rose 9.3 per cent to £596m.

In the week to December 24 sales jumped 32.7 per cent, but they fell 4.8 per cent in the following week as the comparative week last year was the week before the VAT sales tax increase on January 1, 2011.

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Electricals and home technology sales rose four per cent, fashion and beauty sales rose 10.3 per cent and homewares increased 13.6 per cent.

Its strongest sellers included iPads and Kindles, cashmere sweaters, bedding and linen.

Perfumes, particularly Chanel No 5 and Coco Mademoiselle, proved a popular gift ahead of Christmas.

Its post-Christmas sale saw strong demand for laptops, TVs, Apple MacBooks, Dyson vacuum cleaners and iPod speakers.

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John Lewis is planning to open a new store in Leeds in 2015-16 and is expected to make a final decision on whether it will be in the proposed Eastgate Quarter development soon.

A John Lewis spokesperson said: “We remain in talks with Hammerson, the developer of the Eastgate Scheme, and the city council to bring our plans for Leeds to fruition.”

John Lewis has a store in Sheffield and aims to open a new store at Monks Cross in York in 2013.

Related topics:John LewisLeedsVAT