John Lewis pulls in younger customers and more men

Women have traditionally done most of the shopping on Britain's high streets, but now John Lewis, the bellwether retail chain, has revealed nearly half of all its customers are men – the highest proportion in its 84-year history.

Managing director Andy Street said: "Men now account for 44 per cent of customers and we are seeing them as more assertive in their shopping habits and taking more care in their appearance and clothes than ever before."

The revelation comes as part of a report by the store into shopping habits that also found 39 per cent of customers are under 34 years old while just 28 per cent are over 55.

Mr Street said: "Traditionally, John Lewis has been seen as a retailer for older generations, but that is no longer the case and three generations of the same families are coming into our stores."

Sales of electronics, such as tablets and mobile phone have risen as more males shop there.

Mr Street said that technology sales are set to become the biggest department within stores by next year.

However, with margins on electronics lower than other staples such as clothing and furniture, John Lewis runs the risk that the bottom line could be dented – although Mr Street denied this would cause problems.

The report also found that 42 per cent of customers have a household income of less than £30,000, despite John Lewis's image as a high-end retailer, although Mr Street insisted he was not trying to target the less well-off.

"The recession has taught us that although people have less money, when they do buy products they want to make sure they buy something with quality that they know will last, so we don't think moving into a discounter position would work for us," he added.