John Lewis sales dip but beauty is strong, exclusives boost fashion appeal

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 6, 2018

John Lewis had a fairly unimpressive week in the seven days to February 3 as overall sales dropped by 0.2%. But in a chilly and not-too-optimistic UK, perhaps that was no surprise.

At least its Fashion directory did better than the business as a whole with a 2.3% sales increase. However, the biggest boost in the directory came not from fashion itself but from the retailer’s Beauty, Wellbeing and Leisure categories that surged a strong 9.5%. 

When it came to clothing, the company said that the launch of its spring campaign under the ‘Only Here’ concept boosted sales of its contemporary lifestyle brand Kin. The retailer has been actively pushing its exclusive product in recent seasons and with Kin operating across womenswear, accessories and menswear, that strategy appeared to pay off. In fact, Kin branded womenswear sales were up an astonishing 53% on last year.

But once again, the Home directory was an under-performer. Bedlinen rose and Cookshop may have performed well, with strong sales of re-usable coffee cups and water bottles as Britons switched on to the idea of reducing waste. But Home sales overall were down. They fell a disappointing 6.9% on the same week last year.