DIYWEEK.net

While sales of winter products were knocked by the warmest Halloween on record, sales in home categories were up 4% for the week to November 1.
Headline sales for the week were up just 0.4% on last year, which John Lewis believes, given the context of the unseasonably warm weather, is a "solid performance". Home saw the strongest performance of the week, with sales up 4% on last year and with its newest own-brand collection, benefiting from the strength of its Christmas range and achieving its highest weekly sales of the year so far.

Furniture continued to drive home sales, up 14%, as customers prepare their homes for the festive season, with beds and bedroom furniture up by 23%.

Electrical and home technology was down 3.2%, however, there was strong performance from large electricals, up 9%.

The department store chain, which debuts its Christmas ad this evening, is confident sales will pick up further as the temperature drops and venture further into the festive period. Despite having not been officially released, the TV commercial, featuring characters Monty and Mabel, has already attracted a huge amount of interest from the media and has been shared frequently on social media.

Buying director, home, Christine Kasoulis said: "As we move further into November and the weather inevitably turns colder, the demand for winter products will increase. With Monty and Mabel now revealed and Christmas decorating and gifting increasingly becoming front of mind for our customers, I hope you're as excited about the next couple of months as I am."