John Lewis enjoys poor weather

John Lewis has witnessed a significant rise in sales thanks to miserable weather. Contrary to other retailers, who have suffered as a result of a wet 2006 to date, the retail group saw sales soar 16.6 percent last week. In the 16-week period ended 20 May, sales were up 11.3 percent. Supply chain director Patrick Lewis told The Scotsman that customers sought solace from the rain by shopping for electrical appliances, fashion and furniture in record number. Meanwhile, the pending World Cup caused increased interest in televisions and sports wear, he said. Despite the grim weather, customers showed faith in a recovery with sales in the outdoor living and picnic-ware sections "at full stretch", according to Lewis. "Retailers are often accused of blaming the weather for poor trading results," he said. "The first quarter has already seen us securing strong sales growth, but last week that was given an extra boost through higher footfall as customers preferred to spend their time indoors with us. A buoyant week finished with an exceptionally busy Saturday, and we ended up 16 percent ahead of last year.