Edinburgh shoppers go weak at the knees for Love Island accessories

Edinburgh shoppers are influenced by hit TV show Love Island. Picture: ITV

The latest retail crushes were revealed in a rundown of the latest sales trends at the John Lewis store in Edinburgh.

And while accessories from the hit TV reality show top the list, alarm clocks and traditional door knockers fair less well, as households increasingly embrace technology.

Simon Coble, trading director at John Lewis & Partners, said: “It is fascinating to see what trends our customers have fallen in and out of love with this year and how big events like the World Cup and the royal wedding have such a significant impact on what we buy.”

The Leith Street-based department store has reduced its range of alarm clocks by nearly a third after sales fell by 16 percent over the last year with people turning to mobile phones for their wake-up call.

Sales of traditional door knockers have fallen by nine per cent as homeowners invest in smart doorbells with features such as live video streaming and wi-fi-enabled apps.

The store said sales have more than tripled since it started selling them in July last year.

The days of small televisions and DVD players also seem to be numbered, with the most commonly sold screen size doubling to 70in from 2010’s 36in and the rise of streaming services sending sales of DVD  players tumbling by 40 per cent.

And while the trouser press may have been cutting edge in the 1960s, sales at the store have fallen more than a third in the last year alone.

John Lewis said the year was “one of the toughest retailers have seen” – with profits nearly wiped out for the first half of the year – as uncertainty around Brexit and difficult trading conditions dominated the high street.

But the football World Cup helped boost sales – with 60in televisions more than doubling, corner sofas up 87 per cent and barbecues up 40 per cent.

The Royal factor helped sales of the Mulberry Darley bag, up a massive 327 per cent after the Duchess of Sussex was pictured carrying one. Her choice of a bright yellow dress for a Your Commonwealth reception in July resulted in sales of yellow dresses quadrupling.

The year’s series of extreme weather saw sales of boots up nearly two-thirds in February and March – and inflatables up 316 per cent during the summer.

In the four months after the final episode of Blue Planet II, sales of reusable coffee cups, travel cups and flasks were up 71% on last year.

The Love Island show also made its presence felt at the high street stalwart, spurring a rush of sales of inflatables and water bottles similar to those featured in the programme.

However, the biggest surprise for the retailer was a  resurgence in popularity of the thong after years of declining sales, with sales up 72 per cent alongside suspenders, which were up 132 per cent.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the smartphone was the most popular means to visit the John Lewis website, while the number of orders placed on mobile phones increased by 35 per cent.

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