John Lewis boosted by Kin and other own-brands, despite fashion dip

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 17, 2018

Grocery sales were the big story at John Lewis Partnership again in the seven days to July 14, which means the John Lewis department store chain didn't have a great time of it.

The group’s sales dipped less than 1% as Waitrose saw a more than 3% increase, bringing total group turnover up to £214.39 million.

But at the department store chain, turnover fell 6.2%. Why such a bad result? Once again, it was hot weather and big-league sporting events that were to blame. 

This meant that fashion sales fell by 3.5%, not as bad as the overall drop at the chain, but not particularly good.

However, at least womenswear had a good week with its sales rising 5.6%. And once again, own-brand “was a particular standout”. And the company really wasn't exaggerating when it described it as such. How so? Own-brand fashion rose an impressive 29.4%, with the new collection from its Kin brand surging 103%.

Elsewhere, warm weather clothing continued its good performance – no surprise given the months of beach weather that the UK has seen – with sales rising 14%.

But once again, the Home directory underperformed. Its sales were down 11%, continuing a weak run for the unit that has gone on for a long time now. There were pockets of strength, with summer merchandise having a strong week (up 11%) and outdoor furniture rising 9%. Hydration, which includes reusable water bottles, saw an uplift of 24% and beach towels were up 23% as customers prepared to head off on their summer holidays.