John Lewis has opened its Christmas shop more than 13 weeks before Christmas Day, as the retailer reports a sharp early surge in demand for festive products.
The department store said searches for gift wrap had risen fivefold compared with the same period last year, while searches for charity Christmas cards were up 75%.
Sales of Christmas crackers have also jumped 25% year on year, suggesting shoppers are beginning their festive preparations unusually early.
Christmas shops are now open across all John Lewis stores, with the retailer stocking everything from trees, lights and tableware to decorations, gifts and wrapping paper.
Cydney Ball, head of Christmas at John Lewis, said: “After months of planning, creating and bringing our vision to life, it’s incredibly exciting to finally open the doors to our Christmas shop and share it with our customers.
“Christmas at John Lewis is about so much more than finding the perfect gift or ornament for the tree. It’s about the anticipation, the nostalgia and those little moments that make the season feel magical.”
The retailer said customers were also showing a growing appetite for “retro classics”, with sales of the Native Union Pop Phone soaring 186% last week alone.
The nostalgia trend is extending to Christmas decorations, with John Lewis selling a range of retro-inspired products including a 1970s-style disco mouse, a miniature arcade game, a cassette tape and a classic sketch toy.
The early opening comes as retailers compete to capture Christmas spending at a time when consumers are increasingly shopping online and spreading purchases across the year.
John Lewis is also attempting to turn its Christmas offering into an experience rather than simply a seasonal retail display.
Stores will host talks and events covering subjects including how to build the perfect winter capsule wardrobe, a “treetorial” on styling and decorating a Christmas tree, and advice on creating the perfect festive table.
The retailer is not alone in bringing Christmas forward.
Liberty and Selfridges have already transformed substantial areas of their stores into dedicated festive spaces, highlighting the increasingly prolonged Christmas shopping season.
For retailers, the early surge in searches and sales offers an opportunity to secure spending well ahead of December. For shoppers, however, the arrival of Christmas merchandise in September marks another sign that the festive retail season is becoming longer.
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