Waitrose has reported a 9.8 per cent like-for-like rise in online activity over the six weeks to 2 January, but also a 1.4 per cent dip in overall sales for the period, thedrinksbusiness.com reports.
December 23 and 24 saw sales up by six per cent and 5.5 per cent respectively, as there was greater trade at the eleventh hour than in 2014. Waitrose’s 2015 gross sales were up by 1.2 per cent (£859.8 million).
“Our dot.com fulfilment centre in Coulsdon, which celebrated its first Christmas, operated effectively with almost all slots filled as early as November,” Waitrose said.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of John Lewis, the company that controls Waitrose, said, “Despite the fact trade was even more concentrated across a number of very busy shopping days, our operations performed especially well.”
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
