John Lewis' systems withstand high consumer demand

Black Friday was the make or break test for John Lewis as it received unprecedented volume of customer orders online.

The company said its systems stood up to the test, seeing an overall rise of 11 percent in the run up to Christmas.

New shopping habits changing retailers delivery options

The retailer said: “It is clear that the emerging story of this Christmas is how the changing shopping habits of British consumers are impacting retailers’ delivery operations, with the demand from Black Friday resulting in an unprecedented peak in customer orders.

“At John Lewis, our systems, processes and Partners have stood up to this test, and customers can shop with confidence across our delivery options. Customers continue to embrace the advantages of omni-channel, with Click & Collect orders up 32 percent, and sales assisted by Partners in shops, either on tablets or kiosks, up 31 percent.”

Fashion sales climbed by 5.2 percent year-on-year last week boosted by strong uplifts in sales of the retailer’s own-brand Kin label, childrenswear and premium beauty.

Andrew Murphy, retail director at John Lewis, said: “This is the time of year when all aspects of retailers' operations are put to the test, and I’m very proud of how John Lewis Partners in our shops, distribution network and contact centres, have risen to the challenge and continued to deliver fantastic levels of service at their busiest time of year.

“It’s been a solid week of trade, and our results through the whole pre-Christmas period are encouraging. With fewer than 10 days to go until Christmas, it’s still all to play for.”