Farewell to the filing cabinet

John Lewis to stop selling office staple as Covid sees switch from formal items to Crocs, nightwear... and trampolines

They have been a familiar feature of the office for decades.

But now filing cabinets are being consigned to, well, the filing cabinet of history.

John Lewis has said it will no longer stock the units, thanks to an increasingly digital world and changing tastes during the pandemic.

The announcement came as the department store published its annual review of the nation’s shopping habits.

It showed a huge shift in priorities as millions more of us worked from home and were forced to give up nights out and holidays abroad due to lockdowns and travel bans.

One of the biggest changes saw the store sell more than seven times as many tents last year than in 2019. At the same time, purchases of travel accessories fell by four fifths.

The advice to stay at home led

‘Work-life balance has shifted’

many families to turn their homes into retreats, buying three times as many trampolines and hot tubs. Socialising was also moved outside, boosting sales of garden furniture, outdoor heaters and fire pits.

home cooking proved popular, with families rushing to buy new kitchen gadgets such as pizza ovens and pasta machines. And sales of air fryers – which work like deep-fat fryers without the fat – jumped by 400 per cent.

But purchases of children’s party clothes fell by a quarter.

Families adapted to working from home by making space for office furniture, although the increase in meetings and correspondence being carried out solely online still led to falling demand for filing cabinets. Sales of briefcases fell by a fifth.

The way we dress also became more casual, as we bought fewer neckties, but 58 per cent more Crocs shoes. Sales of make-up bags fell by a half, with a big switch to moisturisers as customers spent more time on skincare routines.

home exercise equipment, such as Peloton bikes, also saw a big rise in sales.

Underwear trends were ‘sporty, slouchy and sexy’, John Lewis said, with customers choosing comfortable items over suspenders, bustiers, thongs and garters. high-end cosy nightwear was popular. For men, Tom Daley’s gold medal performance at the Olympics, combined with the increased popularity of wild swimming in rivers and lakes, led sales of Speedo swimming briefs to double.

The pandemic also saw customers respond quickly to television trends. Police drama Line of Duty led to a doubling in the number of waistcoats bought thanks to main character Steve Arnott’s penchant for them.

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.’

With stores shut, the company reported online business soared, to account for around two thirds of all of its sales, up from 40 per cent before the pandemic.

John Lewis closed 16 stores and reorganised its head office putting thousands of staff, which it calls partners, out of work.