03/07/2009 Sun brings outdoor living rise

Outdoor Living saw a not surprisingly 20% rise at John Lewis in the week 27 June.

Despite overall sales in the retailers home sector being down 8.4%, special purchase packages, were reported to have performed well, especially on linens and glass.

Total sales including VAT were down 3.7% for the week, while online sales saw a rise of 21.7%.

Additionally, first day clearance orders at John Lewis Direct were reported to have been up 39% on 2008.

Nat Wakely, director of selling operations, John Lewis, said: “A good week at -3.7%, especially in light of the extraordinarily hot weather on Saturday in a number of parts of the country for our first day of Clearance, and the rival sporting attractions.”

Keep ahead - read Cabinet Maker – the Interiors Retailing Weekly