Annual online sales at John Lewis have passed the £1bn mark - a year ahead of the retailer's forecast.
The milestone has been reached alongside the launch of a new web platform, which represents an investment of nearly £40m over three years. It will provide the foundation for future online growth and John Lewis' customer-focused omnichannel strategy.

Online director Mark Lewis said that achieving £1bn of sales was "a reflection of how central online shopping has become to our customers. We have a leading omnichannel strategy which our customers love, but to continue to deliver the service our customers want, we need a website which will serve us as well as the old one did, and maintain our position as a leading innovator in online retailing."

The new website features an enhanced wish list function and search history, with more customer-focused functionality planned for the future. With mobile now accounting for over 25% of traffic to johnlewis.com, the retailer has also revamped its mobile offer and plans to launch a new app with details to follow later this year.

John Lewis is seeing an unprecedented pace of online growth, with sales up over 40% for johnlewis.com last year.

Meanwhile, work has now begun on the new John Lewis at Home in Ashford, Kent.