Sales at John Lewis fall sharply
Total sales were down 17 per cent since the middle of March
John Lewis sales have plunged after it was forced to shut stores in face of coronavirus despite a surge in online orders.
The John Lewis Partnership group also said its Waitrose supermarket chain saw sales surge as shoppers stocked up on essentials.
However, the John Lewis department store chain saw total sales tumble 17% in the weeks since March 15, after it closed all its sites on March 23.
The high street retailer warned that a worst-case scenario would see the chain's annual sales plunge 35%.
Nevertheless, John Lewis said online sales have jumped 84% as shoppers purchased more technology and food preparation products.
The retailer said demand has particularly spiked in some of its "less profitable lines", with people "buying more Scrabble but fewer sofas".
Published: by Radio NewsHub