John Lewis sales slump year-on-year in week before Christmas

John Lewis said sales at the department store had slumped by -5.1% in the week to 21 December versus the corresponding week last year.

The company said the slump was in part attributable to a strong Black Friday but comes in spite of it extending its Click & Collect deadline to Christmas Eve in a bid to lure last-minute online shoppers.

Fashion sales during the week were also down -5.1% but womenswear was up 3.5%, while it had matched a competitor's promotion on beauty for the week.

Home sales were down -0.3% on the same week last year, but Textiles and Home Accessories were up 7.8% due to customers buying products to prepare their homes for Christmas. Furniture and Flooring sales were up 4.1% as customers shopped Clearance offers on selected lines.

The report chimes with the experiences of the wider market. The so-called Super Saturday effect had failed to materialise with a -7.6% slump in overall retail footfall against the equivalent Saturday in 2018, according to Springboard.