John Lewis sales bolstered by final Black Friday promotions
John Lewis' sales over the past week received a boost from the final Black Friday promotions on offer.
Sales for the week to 3 December increased 3.9 per cent year-on-year, the department store said, reaching £172.1m.
Read more: Nespresso is teaming up with John Lewis to open two new boutiques
Year-on-year, fashion and home sales fell 2.3 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively.
Mark Felix, online trade director at John Lewis, said: "There were fewer promotions outside of Black Friday compared to last year, which influenced fashion and home sales this week, but customers were preparing their homes for Christmas by buying extra beds and pillows."
Inflatable bed sales increased 116 per cent – which John Lewis attributed to people preparing for Christmas guests. Sofa bed sales were up by 36 per cent and pillow sales increased by 18 per cent.
Read more: John Lewis just had the biggest week in its trading history
Electrical products were still benefiting from the Black Friday promotions, however, with sales up 14.9 per cent annually. The best-selling brands included Sonos, Apple and Samsung. Toys that sold particularly well included Play Doh and Lego figures.
John Lewis recently opened two Nespresso boutiques and said that these were "incredibly busy".
At Waitrose, sales fell 0.2 per cent year-on-year, but festive food was performing well. Sales of Christmas biscuits were up 39 per cent. Turkey foil and turkey baking trays were up 24 per cent and 100 per cent respectively.