John Lewis in high spirits after Halloween boost
Nov 06, 2009
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Shoppers threw themselves into Halloween with gusto this year, helping John Lewis boost department store sales by 7.8% last week.
The increase in sales to £61.89m also benefited from an uplift in big ticket purchases like TVs, dishwashers and tumble dryers. That boosted sales of electrical by 11.7%.
There was more good news at Home where sales rose 9.7% and at Fashion, which improved by 6.3%.
But the retailer remains cautious. "Before we let the Christmas spirit run away with us, it's worth noting that only four of our branches grew their trade when compared to 2007," it said.
Shoppers flocked to Bluewater in Kent and Trafford in Manchester where sales posted double-digit increases on last year's trade.
Last week's overall sales were lower than the 9.1% reported a week earlier and the jumps of over 13% in each of the two weeks before that.
An 8% jump in food sales sent overall sales at supermarket Waitrose up 10.1% to £84.94m, putting John Lewis partnership sales at £146.83m, up 9.1% on last year.
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