Department store reported increases across home categories last week, as consumers prepare for the colder months, whilst price matching on brands helped generate an uplift in cookshop.

Overall home sales were up 0.8% at John Lewis for the week ended November 3. Furniture and flooring sales were up 3% on the same week in 2017, and the retailer reported particularly strong sales of beds, as customers turned their attention to making their homes ready for winter. Meanwhile cookshop sales rose by 9% on the back of price matching on popular brands.

Electrical and home technology sales were down 3.8% against strong results during the same trading period last year. Total sales across the John Lewis & Partners business for the week were up 1.4% on FY17-18. However, trading for the past 14 weeks is fairly flat, down 0.1% on the same period last year

Factoring in the Waitrose business, the John Lewis Partnership recorded sales of £239.77million for the week.