John Lewis Revives Traditional Christmas

Nov. 30, 2011 - PRLog -- Reviving the customs and traditions of olden times and harking back to the very origins of the festive period from the Victorian era, customers are practicing their nimble-fingered skill and boosting Haberdashery sales for the department store group.

Home-made crackers and Christmas cards have lifted sales of paper crafts by +43%, whilst festive-themed fabrics are up +25% with Christmas scroll, advent calendar and felt material in traditional red and green proving most popular.

This year, the trend for traditional, nostalgic-inspired ornamentation has replaced the minimalist, modern look of recent years, with many customers choosing to make their own versions by hand. The Haberdashery departments at John Lewis have received crowds of customers looking to collect vibrant fabrics, lace embroidery and an abundance of buttons and bows with which to dress their homes.

Gavin Wardell, Haberdashery expert at John Lewis, says, “As with all things retro, arts and crafts have made a huge comeback in 2011. The sense of nostalgia is palpable this year with many of our customers turning to traditional ornamentation and craft-making techniques to decorate their own homes – from simple paper decorations and colourful hanging baubles to wreaths and garlands inspired by nature. Even knitting has made a comeback with knitting accessories up +17%; not just for grannies, our younger customers have caught the knitting bug and are making cosy winter warmers as Christmas gifts for their friends and families.”

John Lewis also reveals a surprising forerunner in the seasonal trends for 2011: the Christmas tree skirt. Conventionally a practical festive item, the Christmas tree skirt sat at the base of the tree to catch dripping wax from real candles resting on the tree’s branches. More recently, they have been used to gather fallen needles, conceal metal stands and hold the all-important presents.

To meet demand for this Christmas trimming, John Lewis is stocking a new assortment of ready-made Christmas tree skirts in a variety of styles – giant wheels of colourful material and, new for 2011, a rattan skirt for those who prefer a more pared down look. In addition, John Lewis is launching classes in hand-crafting for its customers teaching them how to make their own Christmas tree skirt and create the perfect backdrop for their beautifully wrapped Christmas gifts.

The complimentary hand-crafted Christmas classes are available at John Lewis Oxford Street, John Lewis Stratford City and Peter Jones on Monday 5th December at 11am and Wednesday 7th December at 4pm. To book an appointment, email christmas_events@johnlewis.co.uk.

For more information, please contact Jo Rowley at Rain Communications on:
Tel: 020 7828 0118 / 07979 614040
Email: jo.rowley@raincommunications.co.uk

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- Notes to Editors –
The John Lewis Partnership - The John Lewis Partnership operates 35 John Lewis shops across the UK (29 department stores and six John Lewis at home), johnlewis.com and 253 Waitrose supermarkets. The business has an annual turnover of nearly £8.2bn. It is the UK's largest example of worker co-ownership where all 76,500 staff are Partners in the business.

John Lewis - John Lewis, 'Britain's favourite retailer 2010'* and 'Multiple Department Store of the Year 2010' ** typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores. The website stocks over 150,000 products focused on the best of fashion, beauty, home and giftware and electrical items including online exclusives. johnlewis.com is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK (www.johnlewis.com ). John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products - home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover - delivering the usual values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.

John Lewis is proud to be the official department store provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  

John Lewis and London 2012 - As part of this partnership with LOCOG (The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) John Lewis operates official London 2012 shops within its Oxford Street branch and from September 2011, the new Stratford shop. John Lewis is helping to furnish lounge and reception areas at key Games-time venues as well as offering Partners (staff) the opportunity to support LOCOG in the operation and build-up to the Games. Further to the sponsorship with LOCOG, John Lewis Partnership has developed 'Partners in Sport' an initiative to put something back into the community through sport which includes sponsoring several London 2012 hopefuls as well as funding sports coaches.

* Verdict consumer satisfaction index, January 2011
** The Drapers Awards for fashion retail, November 2010

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