John Lewis sales smash winter ice
It has been revealed that John Lewis sales in the four days to December 23 increased by 27% in what is under any circumstances a phenomenal performance by one of the U.K.'s leading department stores. The performance is all the more incredible when you consider the dramatic change in weather throughout the UK over the last three or four days which has seen temperatures drop to -16°C in the North of Scotland. So why is John Lewis more successful than many other retailers in the UK?
The truth is that John Lewis, while not always grabbing the headlines, has a reputation for giving consumers what they want, when they want it and at a price they can afford. This ability to move with the times is something which has seen the likes of Tesco dominate the UK supermarket sector, although John Lewis tends to be more withdrawn and uncontroversial. So does this mean the UK retail sector has broken free of the recession?
As we have mentioned on numerous occasions, we need to wait until January to see how retailers in general traded over the festive and New Year period. There are still concerns that many companies are struggling with cash flow, profitability and supply issues and we will see more problems in the short term.
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