John Lewis shares details of store upgrades including plans for Jamie Oliver cookery school and cafe
John Lewis has shared details of the latest phase of its multi-million pound makeover of its stores.
One of the first sites to benefit is the retailer’s flagship in London’s Oxford Street, as well as shops in High Wycombe and Cheadle.
The Oxford Street store is celebrating is 160th anniversary year with a new and bigger beauty hall, which has increased its footprint by 24% to enable to house 41 beauty counters and shop-in-shop concepts. The retailer said its beauty sales rose by almost 7% in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year.
Beyond beauty, Oxford Street has seen significant improvements in all corners of its six floors across the home, tech, jewellery and large electricals departments.
This includes the addition of jewellery brands such as Dinny Hall, Enamel Copenhagen, Sarah Alexander, Hoxton London and Koijis Vintage Jewellery in a new jewellery area on the first floor. The department will also offer piercing and jewellery welding services from Tish Lyon.
The enhancements follow the recent opening of a new Waterstones bookshop at the store and the launch of the 1864 rooftop restaurant and bar earlier this year.
John Lewis has also announced that it is partnering with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver who will be bringing his new flagship Cookery School and Cafe to John Lewis Oxford Street in the spring of 2025.
Spanning over 4,600 square feet, the school will have two classrooms hosting over 40 lessons as well as a 50-seat cafe. It will also provide free cookery lessons for children during the school holidays.
The Oxford Street store will be a test bed for transformative improvements and changes which will then roll out to the wider store portfolio if successful.
Executive director for John Lewis Peter Ruis said: “The buzz is back in John Lewis and we’re giving our customers even more reasons to shop in our brilliant stores.
“We’re backing ourselves with significant investment to ensure customers get the exceptional quality, outstanding service, and competitive prices they love about our unique brand.”
