Department store John Lewis has revealed just what shoppers were buying – or less – of this year, plus its predictions for 2026
Bucket hats, baggy jeans and super-sized beds were among the top shopping trends of 2025, department store chain John Lewis has revealed.
Fast-growing sports padel and AI laptops were among others, it said, while TV star Claudia Winkleman drove sales of one particular cosy line.
But perhaps the most eyebrow-raising from Middle England’s favourite retailer was sex toys – what John Lewis calls a “surprising new staple’ – with sales soaring nearly 60%. The surge was driven by the popularity of Coco de Mer’s £145 Pleasure No.6 The Intimate Wand vibrator – described by one satisfied customer as “the ferrari of sex toys”. Indeed, John Lewis says it now stocks double the amount of sexual wellness products as hot water bottles and covers.
The industry giant’s twelfth annual Shop Live Look report shines a fascinating spotlight of what its army of shoppers bought more – or less – of during the year.
The Oasis reunion tour led to a 40% rise in sales of bucket hats in the first half of the year – with parkas also popular – as fans flocked to stock up on nostalgic buys, perhaps in preparation for going to one of the band’s sell-out concerts. Pulp’s appearance at Glastonbury and Radiohead’s return also drove what the chain called “nowstalgia”.
Elsewhere, skinny jeans are apparently well and truly a fashion faux pas, with a relax baggy look the replacement. John Lewis says men’s skinny jeans makes up for less than 5% of its total jeans offering now, down from 15% in 2019. “We’ve seen our customers move to a more relaxed fit,” says Beth Pettet, head of fashion brands at John Lewis.
Despite that, and a move to hybrid working for many post-Covid, a 16% rise in ties suggests they could be making a comeback. “This would seem as unlikely as spats and morning coats enjoying a revival,” says the report. “But the huge loosening of dress codes that Covid lockdowns unleashed – trainers and tracksuits are now regularly seen in offices – is seeing a modest backlash.” More women are wearing mens ties too, the chain said.
When it came to colour, cocoa brown – a shade that evokes the 1970s – was bang on trend. “We’ve all had enough of grey,” says Jason Wilary-Attew, director of home at John Lewis. “Brown is a great neutral and also that warmth of brown just feels a bit more luxurious.”
The weather, as always, played a part on people’s spending habits. For example, the summer heatwave saw John Lewis sell more than one million of its Anyday handheld fans. Gardening furniture was also in hot demand.
Another trend picked out in the report is “sleepmaxxing”, or attempting to get the best possible night’s sleep, which has led to strong sales of wearable technology that tracks people’s routines. The Oura ring was John Lewis’s best-selling piece of jewellery in 2024, and saw sales rise another 8% this year.
It also began stocking the Whoop band, another screenless health monitor worn by sports people as well as Prince William, and ended up selling out.
More evidence came with a trend towards ever bigger beds. “People want better sleep and people are willing to spend more on a king or super king sized bed and mattress to ensure that,” said Mr Wilary-Attew. Sales of super king beds jumped 39%, and king beds by 23%, but demand for double mattresses slipped 5%.
Another star who triggered a mini sales boom was Claudia Winkleman, says the report. With The Celebrity Traitors the most watched individual television show of 2025, its presenter’s style also set the trend. One example of the Winkleman- effect was her trademark wrist warmers, and which proved a sales hit.
Back on the tech front, and sales of AI packed laptops jumped 30%, at the expense of desktop computers, down 26%. With Padel courts rapidly opening, John Lewis reported booming demand from players for rackets. Despite the nation’s love affair with Wimbledon, John Lewis says it hasn’t stocked tennis rackets 15 years ago.
Christmas started early for John Lewis, with its 2025 beauty advent calendar the fastest selling non-tech product in the history of JohnLewis.com – with more money taken in one day from the product (with the exception of Apple product launches) than any other since the website was launched at the start of this century. This year’s calendar – the chain’s sixth – cost a whopping £235 but came with more than £1,000 worth of products.
Looking ahead to 2026 and John Lewis predicts duffle coats will be among the fashion trends, after Ralph Lauren, Victoria Beckham and ‘Phil’ – Joe Wilkinson’s character from Waitrose’s Christmas advert wooing Kiera Knightley – all plugged the trusty favourite. And not forgetting Paddington Bear. Finally, if 2025 was a cocoa year, John Lewis is predicting indigo will be next year’s hit hue.
Source: Mirror
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