John Lewis hit by hot weather
- Published: 16 May 2008 09:05
- Author: Jessica Price Brown
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- Last Updated: 16 May 2008 10:11
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John Lewis saw sales fall back 4.3% to £46.9 million for the week ended May 10 when footfall dipped because of the hot weather. However fashion outperformed with sales ahead 5.6%.
John lewis said that consumers opted to enjoy the hot weather instead of shopping and that footfall was well down in its department stores. The week also faced tough comparatives as last year it was wet.
Fashion sales were the best performer of the week with sandals, flip-flops and open toe footwear selling strongly. Kidswear edged ahead of womenswear with girl's summer dresses clocking up a record week. Boyswear and babywear also saw double digit increases. Branded womenswear also picked up after a slow start to the season.
John Lewis' city centre locations performed better than its out-of-town branches.
John Lewis retail operations director Patrick Lewis said: "We have slightly lighter figures against us for the next two weeks. If the weather breaks at the weekend, we'll be more than ready to race back into the increases."
