Christmas week sales drop at John Lewis

UK department store chain John Lewis said sales during Christmas week fell 1.4 per cent amid "shifting patterns in customer shopping" — coming after the retailer enjoyed a strong Black Friday performance at the end of November.

The employee-owned firm said revenue for the week to December 27th stood at £126.2 million, dragged down by electrical goods’ sales which fell 14.7 per cent compared with a year ago. Sales had also fallen year-on-year, by 2.4 per cent, in the previous week.

In the week to November 29th, which included Black Friday, sales jumped 21.8 per cent to a record £179.1 million — fuelled by electrical sales which rocketed by 40.9 per cent — and surpassing the previous high set in the pre-Christmas week in 2013.

Online director Mark Lewis said: “The final week of our Christmas period saw the shifting patterns in customer shopping play out yet again.”

– (PA)