John Lewis: Men's and women's fashion witness rise in weekly sales

Total sales at John Lewis for the week to March 16, were down 2.4 percent, as the company said in a statement that it annualised a week which included Mother’s Day, and price matched a competitor event that was smaller than last year. Fashion sales, Jon Lewis added, were down 0.5 percent on the same week last year, due to the lower level of price matching in beauty and nursery.

However, John Lewis witnessed a strong week in menswear, with sales up 9.3 percent, while womenswear sales were up 5.1 percent. The company further said that mixed weather drove sales of both knitwear and swimwear as customers began to think about their summer holidays.

Home sales were down 3.2 percent but electrical and home technology sales were down 3.8 percent due to annualising strong promotions in the run up to an earlier Easter last year.

Picture:John Lewis website