Sales at John Lewis rose by 2.6% year-on-year last week, helped by the colder weather, which saw fashion sales rise 7.5%.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, commented: “This has been a solid first half for the Partnership in a difficult market. Both Waitrose and John Lewis are growing sales and increasing market share. Profit before tax and exceptionals was down by £33.8m to £96.0m, predominantly driven by higher pension charges arising from volatility in the market driven assumptions and last year’s property profits. Excluding these, at a trading level our profits were broadly level with last year, despite the turmoil in the grocery market. That reflects tight management of costs and the steps we have taken to strengthen the appeal of our trading brands, where we have seen an encouraging increase in the number of customers shopping with us.”
