John Lewis home sales fell, but the decline was the narrowest since June
Home sales fell for a twelfth straight week at John Lewis though the category still enjoyed its best week for the department store mutual since the middle of June.

Sales of home merchandise missed by 1.1 percent in the seven days to August 18 as the retailer made the most of cooler weather to entice shoppers to part with their cash.

The home drop represented the retailer's shallowest sales decline for home goods since June 16, when year-on-year home sales dipped 0.4 percent.

John Lewis name-checked its new-look House range — one of its more economically-driven collections — saying it was up 27 percent compared with the same week a year ago.

Across the chain, total sales ticked up 3.9 percent to £80.1 million, driven by 7.7 percent growth in electricals and home technology and 4.3 percent in fashion sales.