9th Jan 2006 12:47
Lewis(John) PLC09 January 2006 John Lewis Partnership Christmas Trading Statement 7 weeks up to 7 January 2006 John Lewis Partnership today (9 January) publishes trading figures for its twodivisions for the seven week Christmas trading period to 7 January 2006. Theyshow both divisions trading strongly with John Lewis ahead over 7 per cent onlike-for-like sales and Waitrose up over 6 per cent on the same basis. Sir Stuart Hampson, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said, "In this toughclimate both the Partnership's divisions proved the advantage of offeringcustomers real choice and brands they can trust. The commitment of our 63,000Partners enabled both John Lewis and Waitrose to deliver appealing productsbacked up by knowledgeable service." John Lewis Sales for the seven week period to 7 January 2006 were up by 9.2%. Like-for-likesales for the seven week period to 7 January were up 7.1%. Over the same period, fashion saw a 6.4% increase with Womenswear andAccessories up 5.4% and Menswear, Leisure and Beauty up 8.5%. Home was up by1.8% whilst Electricals and Home Technology increased by 25.9%. Charlie Mayfield, Managing Director, John Lewis, said, "John Lewis has achievedrecord levels of sales and strong growth throughout the whole Christmas period.These results reflect the commitment and professionalism of Partners across thedivision. "After a difficult first half when sales and profits were below last year,colder weather in November kick started sales and from then on our performancebuilt significantly each week. The growth in sales was due to a more targetedproduct assortment, more inspirational presentation of 'Christmas', a strongeremphasis on our value message of quality for price, a relentless focus onservice, improved availability and more focused marketing. "Sales via the internet and call centres were up significantly. However it wasin the shops that we saw the greatest turn around in sales performance versusthe difficult trading conditions earlier this year. Sales uplifts in technologyrelated areas were massive. In that area our reputation for service, betteravailability and the reassurance of being 'Never Knowingly Undersold' were allparticularly important. "It is good to see that the momentum at Christmas has carried through intoClearance where sales are running well ahead of last year." Waitrose Sales for the seven week period to 7 January 2006 were up by 9.5 per cent(excluding petrol). Like-for-like figures for the same period were up by 6.2 percent.(excluding petrol). Steven Esom, Managing Director, Waitrose, said: "These strong results in acompetitive trading environment reflect the efforts we have put into meetingcustomer demand - from selecting the right products to offering the highstandard of service that customers expect in our branches. Strong performancesin established branches have been coupled with exceptional results in newgeographic areas for the Waitrose brand."Our figures show that shoppers have been seeking out high quality produce and,once again, we have seen significant numbers of customers trading up to Waitroseover Christmas and New Year. We are confident that many of these new customerswill be making return visits in the coming weeks and months. "Our supply chains have proved more than capable of coping with this surge indemand, allowing us to offer what customers wanted, when they wanted it." Sir Stuart Hampson concluded, "The sense of relief that Christmas turned outbrighter than many feared should not disguise the fact that conditions inretailing remain tough, with strong competition and price deflation keepingpressure on margins. "Our expectation is that 2006 will see continuing pressure on retailers, but weremain confident that Waitrose and John Lewis are well prepared to face thesechallenges and to perform at the top end of their sectors." ENDS Notes to editors The John Lewis Partnership (www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk) is one of the UK'stop ten retail businesses with 27 John Lewis department stores and 173 Waitrosesupermarkets. It is also the country's largest example of worker co-ownershipwith all 63,000 permanent staff being Partners in the business. It has an annualturnover of over £5bn. For further information: John Lewis PartnershipPaul Burden, Director of Communications Tel: 020 7592 6292Helen Dickinson, Head of Press & PR Tel: 020 7592 6274Helen Megaw, Corporate Press Manager Tel: 020 7592 6223 Hogarth PartnershipJames Longfield/Chris Matthews Tel: 020 7357 9477 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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