Christmas ad boosts sales at John Lewis
Sales at the retailer John Lewis climbed 6 per cent week on week to £76.3m as its Christmas television campaign launched last week.
The advert starring seven-year-old Lewis McGowan gained 400,000 views on YouTube in only two days after being launched on Friday. Its first broadcast was during The X Factor on Saturday night.
The department store chain said strong performances came from home furnishing services, particularly floor coverings and the express curtains service, while sales of bedding saw significant increases.
Branches across the country reported good sales of Christmas trees and gifts, while emerging trends focused on technology and food.
Sales figures were down 0.8 per cent on last year but Andrew Murphy, the retail director, said: "With very strong figures from last year against us, milder weather than is seasonal and the turbulent economic climate, our results show that our customers are beginning to think seriously about Christmas."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies