John Lewis sales growth with new womenswear products

British department store John Lewis has announced that its sales remained strong in the final full week before the start of London 2012 Olympic Games with a total sales increase of 11.2 percent compared to the same week last year.

In the week ending July 27, sales were driven by a strong performance in electrical and home technology, as well as uplift in fashion sales with new products in womenswear proving to be particularly strong.

Overall fashion sales were up 7.6 percent versus last year, with four of the five buying groups achieved sales growth on the year, with the promise of better weather in the south helping drive seasonal sales.

Newness delivered strong sales compared to last year across all of the fashion assortments, with sales of new womenswear, accessories and beauty items recording an uplift of 25 percent.

Susan Young head of merchandising central operations at John Lewis, said: “The momentum around London 2012 is unlikely to drop, and four of our stores have been clad in London 2012 wraps, which will be in place until September.”

John Lewis also noted that sales of its Olympic 2012 merchandise had been strong, and Young added that Stratford sales were “weighted towards London 2012 products”.