By Jamie White – Head of Communications

Department store John Lewis recorded its most successful sales period ever in the run up to Christmas.

The British company delivered a 4.8 per cent rise in like-for-like sales across the five weeks to Christmas, hitting £777 million on the back of strong online growth and a successful advertising campaign starring Monty the penguin.

Online, sales were up by 19 per cent, with the Click and Collect service proving popular with many shoppers. The jump in online demand meant some 36 percent of all group sales were conducted via the johnlewis.com website during the Christmas period, with more than half of those being collected in shops.

The Black Friday phenomenon on November 28th contributed greatly to the sales boost, creating the biggest ever sales week in John Lewis’s 150-year history.

However, Black Friday trading did cause some disruption to the traditional Christmas sales pattern, with sales peaking on that day.

Black Friday sales were led by electricals and home technology, while some of the most popular gifts for Christmas included fitness trackers, coffee machines and kitchen appliances.

John Lewis is preparing a major expansion programme across the UK, taking its number of stores from 42 to 65 locations.

Mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford, provides a range of bespoke Online Mystery Shopping, Email Mystery Shopping and Online Live Chat Mystery Shopping programmes to clients in a variety of industries, including retail.