Waitrose has recorded another disappointing week, whilst trading at sister chain John Lewis was subdued after a bumper Black Friday period.
Over the seven days to 14 December total sales at Waitrose slipped 3.4% year-on-year.
The retailer stated that whilst the wet weather didn’t create an overly festive atmosphere, shoppers had still been getting prepared for the big day. Popular Christmas products included party food, tins of biscuits and seasonal confectionery. Meanwhile, the chain’s online party and meat ordering service saw sales grow 18%.
Overall, sales in the ambient category were down 1.6%, whilst sales in Chilled, Fruit, Veg & Hort., Bakery, Meat, Fish, Frozen and Dairy slipped 3.2%. Sales in the Home & General Merchandise category plummeted 12.5%.
Having seen record sales over the Black Friday period, total sales at John Lewis last week fell 11.9%. However, the chain hosted special customer shopping events across 48 shops and saw strong demand, with sales up 17.2% and footfall increasing 16% compared to last year’s events.
Overall, sales in its Fashion department were down 13.3%, whilst Home sales slipped 6.3%. Electrical and Home Technology sales fell 14.7%.
