DEPARTMENT store chain John Lewis said Olympics fever helped drive a 17.3% hike in sales as shoppers rushed to snap up London 2012 themed goods.
The group notched up £70.3m in sales last week thanks to strong demand for Olympics-related sports clothing and homeware – while it also received a boost from the final week of clearance.
John Lewis added that customers were hitting stores to pick up bargains as a form of “retail therapy” during the poor summer weather.
Sales of London 2012 products meant a 39% year-on-year surge in sportswear and spurred an 8.9% rise in home revenues in the week to July 14.
The John Lewis Partnership’s supermarket arm Waitrose reported a 6.9% growth in sales last week.
