John Lewis saw its sales climb by 5% year-on-year last week as trade was boosted by the cooler weather and continuing momentum from the retailer's Bank Holiday campaign.
Stores achieving the strongest growth included Sheffield, Exeter and Leicester while online sales grew by 17.5%.
Sales in fashion were up 8.7% overall with childrenswear and nursery achieving the highest growth across the categories.
Home sales rose by 7.5% as big ticket items drove the performance. Some of the best performing categories included furniture and premium bedding with high tog duvets selling particularly well online.
Electricals and home technology sales were down 0.5% in the week. Sales in the tablets and computing category were down on last year but TV sales stayed strong as customers bought the latest big screens from Samsung and LG in preparation for the Rugby World Cup.
Johnathan Marsh, buying director for electricals and home technology at John Lewis, said: “Following the softer August trading conditions we are buoyed by the start to September and the rate at which our newness is growing within the assortment. This week is no exception with high profile launches from Charlotte Tilbury and Apple.”
