Including John Lewis enjoying its biggest ever week thanks to Black Friday.
The Source rounds up some of the key retail stories of the week.
John Lewis enjoyed its biggest ever week in the seven days to November 26, with sales jumping 6.5% to £199.8 million. Black Friday was the retailer’s ‘biggest day ever’, with it saying that its special event – which fell across two trading weeks – was successful both online and in stores. The electricals category grew 11%, while fashion sales were up 4.6%, beauty grew 13.4% and home sales increased 0.9%.
Gary Grant, the boss of toy chain The Entertainer, has told Retail Week he is confident about the Christmas period, with his main concern being keeping up with demand for this season’s most-wanted toys. Gary also discussed topics including the national living wage, putting expansion plans on ice due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and price rise predictions in the interview with the retail trade magazine.
Value retailer Poundland could look to sell up to 80 stores in a move to consolidate its portfolio, according to a story in The Telegraph. The news comes just over two months after the retailer was acquired by South African retail group Steinhoff.
Online spend on Black Friday is estimated to have hit £1.23 billion, according to IMRG and SimilarWeb. This would be a jump of 12.2% on 2015. Over the peak Black Friday period between November 21 and November 28 (Cyber Monday), IMRG said consumers spent £6.45 billion on digital purchases.
Retailers in London’s West End also enjoyed a footfall uplift from Black Friday. More than 3.6 million shoppers headed to the region, with the growth in traffic marking a 5.1% increase in shopper numbers compared to the same four-day weekend in 2015. The New West End Company said retailers saw a 4.5% increase in footfall on Black Friday, with retailers on Oxford Street enjoying their busiest day on Saturday, with shopper numbers peaking 1.5% year on year.
Home and furniture retailer Dunelm has acquired etailer Worldstores – which owns the Kiddicare brand – for £8.5 million.
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