John Lewis to open new store in Essex
John Lewis is to anchor the second phase of the Bond Street retail development in Chelmsford in Essex by opening its third flexible format department store.
The new store will follow the opening of the retailer’s flexible format stores in Exeter this year and in York in 2013. John Lewis will invest around £15 million in the development which will boost local employment with the creation of 350 new jobs.
Andy Street, managing director, John Lewis, said: “John Lewis Chelmsford will be our first shop in Essex. The Bond Street development in the city centre is a great fit for us and we look forward to bringing a flagship shop to Chelmsford.
“John Lewis Chelmsford will be our third flexible department store. We’re excited to see the roll out of this new format really starting to gather pace as we expand our reach to customers across the UK, providing them with more convenient access to our inspiring products and great service.”
The 300,000 sq ft Bond Street development, which is owned by Aquila and could open as early as autumn 2014, will also include 20 other retail units providing a mix of shops, river fronted restaurants and a cinema.
Tony Chambers, Aquila’s chairman, said: “Planning consent was granted for our previous scheme in September last year. We have since been working with John Lewis to redesign the scheme in order to accommodate their 119,000 sq ft “flexible format” department store and have now submitted a revised planning application. We are very excited by this development which is much needed to serve Chelmsford’s affluent and growing catchment.”
