An established and well-respected retail brand in the UK, John Lewis has successfully opened several new shops over the past year and has many more planned. RLI talks to Managing Director Andy Street about the retailer's plans and the evolution of its international delivery service.
Regularly voted the UK's favourite retailer, John Lewis began trading in 1864 and since then, through the efforts of 30,000 Partners (staff), has succeeded in becoming the largest multi-channel retailer in the UK, with 35 John Lewis shops and a growing online business, johnlewis.com.
John Lewis is part of the John Lewis Partnership and is a different sort of company. Each member of staff is a Partner, with a shared responsibility for the company and a drive to put its success first. At the heart of the brand, is a commitment to being 'never knowingly undersold' – a promise to customers on quality, price and service. The excellent service delivered by its Partners, alongside the inspiring products and outstanding value it offers, means that John Lewis continues to be the trusted retailer of choice for customers.
There are currently 35 John Lewis shops across the UK: there are 29 department stores and six John Lewis 'at home' shops, the latter of which offers the John Lewis home assortment (minus floor coverings and fitted kitchens) plus an Electricals and Home Technology assortment.
The shops also feature a café and terminals that allow shoppers to access the full johnlewis.com range. This online service stocks over 200,000 products focused on the best of fashion, beauty, home and giftware and electrical and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK.
Whilst John Lewis does not have a physical presence abroad, it has launched an international delivery service which delivers to over 30 countries worldwide.
"Online shopping is a good way for us to test the international markets, with international customer visits to johnlewis.com now accounting for five per cent of total online traffic," explains Managing Director, Andy Street.
The company’s most recent opening was the £35M full-line department store, John Lewis Stratford City opened at Westfield Stratford City in September 2011. It was the only full-line John Lewis to open in 2011 and the first new London department store to open in 20 years.
For the full article, please see the March 2012 issue.
|
