John Lewis Christmas sales rise to £129.2m

John Lewis has today reported that its Christmas-week sales grew by 2.3 per cent year-on-year to reach £129.2 million, with a strong jump in gift food and seasonal items, as customers shopped “right until the last moment” before the big day.

This year's John Lewis Christmas TV advert. Picture: PA

However the retailer said growth for the week, ending Boxing Day, was subdued as it did not include the first day of its clearance.

It said sales on its website had a “strong” seven days, up by 25.1 per cent from last year, and a record volume of customers visited its app.

Sales in gift food and seasonal items jumped by 49.2 per cent, while the lowest growth flagged was in fashion, up by 2.7 per cent.

Managing director Andy Street said John Lewis is “now in the final week of our peak trading period with clearance in full swing”.

The sale on Johnlewis.com started at 5pm on Christmas Eve with orders up by 17.7 per cent year-on-year for the first full hour.