John Lewis has reported a 7.6% sales uplift for the week to April 23, 2011, as customers enjoyed the sunny weather.
Home increased by 14% compared with the same week in 2010, with strong sales across the retailer's Royal Wedding commemorative ranges.
Unsurprisingly, given the warm weather, sales of barbecues and outdoor furniture also "pulled ahead quickly", said the report. Lightweight duvets were up more than 100% on 2010, while cooling sales soared, up more than 500%, with Dyson fans performing particularly well.
New colourful ranges in small electricals also did well, said the company, with Kenwood Brights ranges proving a favourite with customers.
Head of online selling Jonathan Brown said: "So as Britain baked in incredible Easter sunshine it was a decent week for John Lewis in stores and online as we delivered a 7.6% improvement on 2010 and a 15.4% increase on 2009. With the majority of branches outperforming last year, Cambridge took top spot in its outperformance. More challenging was Brent Cross, which saw customer footfall impacted by the M1 motorway closure at the start of the week."
Find out how other retailers across the UK fared during the bumper Bank Holiday season in the next issue of
DIY Week, out May 6.