The digital revolution has finally caught up with John Lewis shoppers as the department store revealed it has stopped selling filing cabinets.
Bosses also revealed that the pandemic saw a marked shift in what we wore, with sales of neckties and thongs plunging as shoppers opted for more comfortable clothes.
The Covid-19 lockdowns meant travel accessory sales fell but customers did spend big on turning their homes into personal retreats.
Tent sales were particularly strong, up 600% along with trampolines up 270% and casual Croc shoes up 58%, according to John Lewis’s annual Shop, Live, Look report on trends.
With restaurants shut, home cooking saw a boost, with air fryers up 400% and other home comforts that saw rising sales also included hot tubs and outdoor furniture.
Outdoor heaters and fire pit sales soared 1,000% in October and November last year, although John Lewis did not reveal how that translates into the number of items sold.
In its beauty section, makeup sales fell heavily as people stayed indoors, although sales switched to skin care products instead, the retailer said.
Overall, with stores shut, the company reported online business soared, to account for between 60% and 70% of all sales, up from 40% pre-pandemic.
Looking forward, the company predicts there will be more online socialising, with the purchase of goods that online exist in the digital world and a continued rise in sales of nostalgic tech.
John Lewis boss Pippa Wicks said: “The unprecedented events of 2020 and 2021 have left a permanent mark on how we shop, live and look.
“People have become clearer about what matters to them and their work-life balance has shifted towards life.”
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