John Lewis sees sales rise 5.8% in five weeks to Christmas

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Jan 8, 2015

John Lewis, the British department store retailer, reported a successful "Logistics Christmas," which saw shoppers taking advantage of online and click-and-collect shopping.

The company's total sales rose 5.8% in the five weeks to December 27 2014, up to £777m. Sales were up 4.8% on a like-for-like basis and online sales for the period were up by 19%. John Lewis' website represented 36% of sales during the period, up from 32% in 2013. More than half of the orders, 56%, were click-and-collect orders that were picked up in stores, overtaking home delivery.

John Lewis said Black Friday (28 November) drove a "new shape of trade", with sales up 22% year-on-year. It was the biggest week for sales in the retailer's 150 year history. Andy Street, Managing Director of John Lewis, stated: "This year confirmed the new shape of trade for Christmas, with an early peak at the end of November driven by Black Friday and last minute gift buying."

"With Black Friday driving a higher proportion of online sales and customers increasingly wanting more convenience, this has meant a real concentration on fulfilment, making this a truly 'Logistics Christmas'. The investments we have made and the new capabilities we have built in recent years in Distribution and IT have been fundamental in ensuring we successfully navigate this changing shape of trade."