Inside John Lewis’s Mega Westfield London Shepherd’s Bush Retailer

As a part of the £600 million Westfield extension, the house division at John Lewis White Metropolis covers 50,000 sq. ft throughout two flooring alone. It is fairly large.

The division retailer features a magnificence spa, three eateries, and a bespoke private vogue styling service. What’s immediately seen all through is the expansive product vary and nice design and structure – it appears similar to a brand new retailer ought to look – clear, shiny and presentable – and it has that ‘new retailer odor’.

This specific retailer can be John Lewis’s most experiential and service-led store so far.

John Lewis

Of their 2017 retail report, John Lewis stated: ‘In 2017, the expertise is commonly as necessary because the product, with folks eager to treasure memorable moments spent with buddies and households of their busy lives. To accommodate this rising thirst for brand new experiences, our retailers are actually locations for inspiration and delight, in addition to purchasing.’

They famous that ‘purchasing journeys combine on-line and bodily experiences’ and ‘with a lot crossover between totally different channels, customer support stays the glue that holds the whole expertise collectively’.

This explains so much in regards to the new providers that John Lewis is now providing at White Metropolis. They’re pushing the boundaries in an enormous approach – with their partners (permanent staff) on the helm. The truth is, the latest retail collapse of some excessive road shops hasn’t fazed them – John Lewis affirm a recruitment of 80 new head workplace roles with the intention of designing higher merchandise for purchasers.

John Lewis

‘That is going to be our fiftieth store – it is a very particular fiftieth store,’ Anna Rigby, head of shopping for for textiles and residential equipment at John Lewis, tells us. ‘It’ll present a mixture of recent merchandise, new ideas, and what’s actually particular about it’s that our companions are the largest a part of this store, and that magic that we are able to supply through our companions you simply can not get on-line.

‘All people is transferring to on-line purchasing – I do not suppose we are able to transfer away from that – and we’re very pleased with our on-line website, nonetheless, retailers we nonetheless consider are very, crucial and our department shops are our heritage, I suppose. What we have finished with this store is make it additional, additional particular. And our companions, and their interplay with prospects and constructing relationships with prospects goes to be actually necessary as we transfer ahead.’

The house division is a key focus for John Lewis. The White Metropolis retailer brings collectively over 500 homeware manufacturers throughout a sequence of inspirational room units. In-store providers embrace the Demo Kitchen for meals demonstrations and cooking, an immersive Apple Sensible Residence expertise, the Sleep Room space to permit prospects to check mattresses at their leisure, the Couch Studio the place you may design your personal couch or armchair from a group of materials, and equally, Design Your Personal Rug and Carpet Color Matching to create your personal distinctive flooring.

John Lewis

‘We’re constructing a really sturdy home-based business,’ provides Anna. ‘Residence has all the time been our basis – we’re very pleased with our home-based business and our purchasing groups are all charged with reinventing dwelling. That is what we’re striving to do over the approaching years with a purpose to get to the magic variety of £1 billion. A £1 billion home-based business with our personal model.’

With this in thoughts, what precisely is the White Metropolis retailer providing prospects? We take a tour to search out out…

Expertise Desk

That is the hub. You may ebook all actions and workshops right here, whether or not it is for the sweetness bar or a yoga class. ‘The Expertise Desk has been an unlimited hit with prospects,’ says Anna. ‘You may ebook appointments on the day or for future dates for actions happening within the store.’

John Lewis

Presents

This part appears spectacular and the massive interactive screens deliver John Lewis’s lovely images to life. We assure no buyer will stroll these aisles with out shopping for an merchandise or two.

Merchandise embrace the ‘very, very profitable’ Leon tableware vary, in addition to the latest Anthropologie collaboration. ‘We needs to be introducing textiles as properly and we’re very enthusiastic about that,’ Anna teases about an upcoming unique vary.

John Lewis

Meals is, in fact, an enormous deal at John Lewis, and you will be spoilt for alternative. ‘This very beneficiant space is given to reward meals,’ explains Anna on our tour. ‘We promote numerous sweets in John Lewis, and alcohol. Gin has been phenomenal within the final two years, we have launched much more area of interest manufacturers and the demand simply continues.’

Talking of gin, White Metropolis prospects will love this – there is a fancy bar by Smith & Sinclair in retailer. That is proper, anticipate to finish your spot of retail remedy with a tipple on the bar and certainly one of their edible cocktails (bought on-line from £14.99). ‘You may sit down and have a cocktail, it is a part of that complete expertise – not simply coming to buy however to really linger, dwell, get pleasure from your self and make it extra of an expertise and a reminiscence. It is a beautiful addition to this house,’ says Anna.

TREND ALERT: Video games and puzzles

‘At present, video games and puzzles are a whole phenomenon,’ reveals Anna as we stroll cross an assortment of board video games. ‘Individuals are both out and having these experiences someplace else, or they’re staying at dwelling. A puzzle actually helps to deliver family and friends collectively.’

Haberdashery

With craft persevering with to increase, it is no shock that haberdashery is properly and actually alive within the White Metropolis Retailer with a stupendous show that may delight each seasoned sewers and budding fanatics.

‘Haberdashery is unquestionably an necessary half and continues to be an necessary a part of our providing,’ explains Anna, referencing the brief but misunderstood haberdashery-gate in 2016. ‘Haberdashery stays an necessary a part of this making. For one, we have finished it for a really very long time, but in addition it is an excellent approach for us to work together with prospects and share experience – and you may’t get these assortments in all places these days.’

Apple Sensible Residence

John Lewis

John Lewis have partnered with Apple to indicate how the numerous good dwelling capabilities can be utilized with only one app and management system – the Apple HomeKit. In a house setting, you may mess around with Siri in retailer and ask it to dim the lights, play your favorite music and put the heating on, amongst many different issues.

However why have John Lewis determined to companion with Apple, and never Amazon, for instance? ‘Lots of John Lewis prospects love and use Apple iOS, they’ve an iPad or an iPhone. Our stats revealed 77 per cent of searches onto JohnLewis.com are from iOS gadgets,’ explains Siân Grieve from John Lewis. ‘We all know Amazon are going after this house, we all know Google are going after it in an enormous approach – that is our probability to deliver that to life in an iOS setting.’

John Lewis

Discovery Room

That is the place a few of these actions you booked on the Expertise Desk is more likely to happen. There aren’t any limitations to what John Lewis is providing, with craft lessons, conscious marbling workshops (by design duo Patternity), calligraphy, and way more deliberate for the close to future.

‘It is a house the place we are able to work together with prospects and permit prospects to become involved,’ says Anna. ‘We will do mom and child yoga periods too – it is going to be fairly a multi-functional house.’

You actually begin to get the concept creating experiences is changing into the brand new norm. ‘It is an actual pattern,’ says Emma Cole from John Lewis. ‘When folks come to this retailer, they will not essentially simply come right here to buy, they’re going to come right here to spend the morning or afternoon.’

Outside dwelling

With spring and summer time now a key focus in-store, it is beautiful to see such a splendidly curated show of backyard furnishings – from daring brights to blended supplies.

‘The outside is essential to our prospects. Lots of people live in smaller areas, and even those that benefit from larger areas need to maximise their outside house, and that is the place we are available in to attempt to assist them,’ says Vicky Angell, outside dwelling purchaser at John Lewis. ‘What we’re additionally discovering is prospects are making bolder decisions of their outside furnishings, and the place they’re concentrating on making their dwelling look lovely, they’re additionally doing the identical with open air. There’s this actual synergy the place prospects are opening up their properties and mixing the 2 areas.’

John Lewis

TREND ALERT: Outside areas

1. An area for lounging (60 per cent) is overtaking an area for eating (40 per cent). ‘It has been a gradual, gradual shift however prospects are making that shift or doing each, the place they’ve the luxurious of house to do each,’ says Vicky.
2. ‘The opposite factor we’re seeing is the informal eating pattern – a settee set or nook lounging unit with a low eating desk,’ she reveals. ‘It is rising 30 per cent year-on-year.’
3. Cushions and outside rugs are ‘doing very well’ and prospects are accessorising with lanterns and lighting.
4. On the subject of BBQs, Vicky reveals two standout successes: Barbecue people who smoke (£399) and the Uuni pizza oven (£199).

The sleep room

As quickly as you stroll on this space of the shop it is immediately extra quiet and serene. It actually does not really feel such as you’re in a busy division retailer that is inside a good busier purchasing centre. It is the proper setting to buy a brand new mattress and the house is a quiet, non-public space, enabling you to check out mattresses comfortable.



John Lewis

Residence design service

Fret no extra, any worries you had about placing collectively a moodboard or really taking the plunge to overtake your uninteresting room may be forgotten – due to John Lewis’s Residence Design service.

There are two sorts of appointments – model recommendation or design session. With the previous, John Lewis Residence Design advisors work by way of your concepts in retailer that will help you discover a look that fits your model and finances. And for the latter, an advisor will go to your private home to create a whole design scheme, and can see the whole undertaking by way of with you, from ordering, supply and becoming.



John Lewis

The ultimate phrase from John Lewis…

‘We’re actually investing in our personal model,’ says Anna. ‘Having distinctive merchandise which you can solely get in John Lewis is absolutely necessary to us and to construct this £1 billion personal model enterprise inside our dwelling division. We have invested in a further 80 companions and so they’re simply approaching board now. They will sit in our design areas, our product, tech and innovation division and shopping for and merchandising.

‘Within the local weather the place retail is kind of difficult proper now, it is actually encouraging to see John Lewis actually investing in further companions to make sure the merchandise we put in entrance of our prospects is extremely properly thought by way of, properly designed and the worth and high quality remains to be vastly necessary to us, so the groups have gotten larger with a purpose to ship that actual differentiation to our prospects.’



John Lewis

Olivia Heath
Government Digital Editor, Home Lovely UK
Olivia Heath is the Government Digital Editor at Home Lovely UK the place she’s busy uncovering tomorrow’s largest dwelling traits, all while delivering trendy room inspiration, small house options, simple backyard concepts and home excursions of the most well liked properties in the marketplace.