John Lewis sees Record Online Sales
It is not all doom and gloom in retail at the moment. The High Street may be daubed in big reduction offers mixed with a certain malaise, but online seems a happier, more relaxed and confident place to be.
John Lewis, one of the UK’s biggest department stores, reconfirmed this thought. Sales at John Lewis stores rose 20% last week, compared to the previous week, and online sales hit record levels.
John Lewis said that it had seen a “significant improvement” to sales over the week to December 6, with kidswear and toys, along with home furnishings and home entertainment, performing well.
The company said that the combination of the passing on of the VAT reduction and their price matching policy had contributed to the rise. John Lewis said that it had beaten last year’s record online sales week by half a million pounds.
The biggest online sales week starts with the second Monday of December, dubbed “Mega Monday” and ends around ten days before Christmas. Internet sales were driven by demand for gifts, Christmas decorations, furnishing accessories, home electronics and toys.
John Lewis director of selling operations Nat Wakely said: “This week’s much stronger sales have borne out our belief that John Lewis’ strong and innovative Christmas products, customer service and price matching will ensure our continued position as a market leader over the festive period.
He added: “The next two weeks are absolutely crucial for us and all high street retailers but we are confident that the upward sales trend will continue.”
Intelligent Postioning will be doing a report on John Lewis shortly, to see if there is scope for bettering these figures with quality SEO. Watch this space for more details.