Including sales of toys leaping 200% at John Lewis and last minute Christmas additions by the grocers.
The Source rounds up some of the key retail stories of the week.
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that retail sales volumes increased by 5% in November. Some £32.2 billion was spent in November, compared to £31.7 billion last year. Unsurprisingly, online enjoyed a bumper month – the value of online sales increased 12.7% year on year and rose 4.9% from October.
John Lewis has seen its weekly sales climb a further 3% to £155.2 million. The week ending December 12 also saw online revenue climb by 15%. The rise was mainly attributed to sales on mobile devices and through the retailer’s app, with purchases leaping 43%. Among the top performing sectors was toys – with sales up 200%, buoyed by consumers buying LEGO Star Wars.
Tesco has introduced 4,000 ‘here to help’ colleagues across its UK stores to help customers find products and last minute Christmas presents. In addition, Christmas greeters will be in the grocer’s larger stores to help point customers in the right direction. The initiative is part of Tesco’s Feet on the Floor programme.
Meanwhile, Asda has invested an additional £4 million into customer service for the final two weeks of the Christmas shopping period. This sum includes 8,000 ‘go-getters’ to help customers find products.
Marks & Spencer has opened up its first flagship outlet in Beijing. The store is located in The Place shopping centre and will stock edited clothing collections, plus 1,200 food and drink items.
Value retailer B&M has appointed Martin Roberts as its new operations director. Martin joins from Vodafone – where he was head of retail and online – while he has also enjoyed stints at Wickes and Sainsbury’s.
