LONDON, 2015-6-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — At 9am this morning, the new co-located John Lewis at home and Waitrose Horsham shops opened their doors to customers for the first time. The 43,000 sq. ft John Lewis, located at Albion Way in Horsham, is the retailer’s 11th ‘at home’ shop and only the second co-located John Lewis and Waitrose development.
Hundreds of customers queued outside, eager to get in and explore the shops. Horsham customers will discover the first ever Home Hub, a dedicated area bringing together all of John Lewis’s home design services, and showcasing the retailer’s home interior products through a display of 11 room sets. In addition, the branch will offer customers an edited selection of 16,000 products across furniture, furnishing accessories, homeware, technology and nursery departments.
Waitrose will include new concepts and services, including a juice bar, wine and beer bar, a new bakery and an extensive wine department. The store will also feature new eat-in areas where customers will be able to enjoy tapas, deli platters and freshly baked goods.
A ribbon was cut by the branch managers Nigel Davis (John Lewis) and Jo Thomas (Waitrose), as well as representatives from local organisations that John Lewis at home is supporting as part of its charitable Community Matters scheme: Horsham Matters, Age UK Horsham and The Springboard Project.
Nigel Davis, branch manager of John Lewis at home Horsham, said: ‘It’s a very exciting day for us and I’m delighted to welcome our first customers through the doors. There has been a huge amount of planning and hard work involved to get us to this stage and I’m very proud of all the Partners involved. It’s great to see how excited our first customers are about the new branch and we look forward to seeing these faces again and again as they become regular visitors.’
Jo Thomas, branch manager of Waitrose Horsham, added: ‘Today is a day of mixed emotions! Whilst we’re hugely excited to be able to welcome customers to our new home at Albion Way, however we are a little sad to say goodbye to our home of over 25 years at Piries Place. Partners have worked very hard to ensure that the changeover to the new store has run smoothly and I’m delighted that the process has been such a success. The new shop co-located with John Lewis ‘at Home’ will enable us to deliver an even better shopping experience and bring together the best of the Partnership in one place.’
John Lewis at home and Waitrose Horsham brings John Lewis and Waitrose together in a unique way – it is the first time the two stores will share office space, a dining room and locker rooms. This joint-venture allows customers to shop at both John Lewis at home and Waitrose in one trip, and ‘at home’ customers will have the benefit of Waitrose’s catering facilities.
Notes to editors
The John Lewis Partnership – The John Lewis Partnership operates 44 John Lewis shops across the UK (31 department stores, 11 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2), johnlewis.com, 339 Waitrose shops, waitrose.com and business to business contracts in the UK and abroad. The business has annual gross sales of over £10bn. It is the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership where all 93,800 staff are Partners in the business.
John Lewis – ‘Multichannel Retailer of the Year 2014’¹ , ‘Best Overall Retailer’² and ‘Best Retailer 2014’³, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 280,000 products, and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products – home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover – delivering the values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.
¹ Oracle Retail Week Awards 2014
² Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2014
³ Which? Awards 2014.
You can follow John Lewis on the following social media channels:
www.johnlewis.com/twitter
www.johnlewis.com/facebook
www.johnlewis.com/youtube.
Waitrose – the Nation’s Favourite Supermarket¹ and winner of the Best Supermarket² and Best Food and Grocery Retailer³ awards – currently has 339 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 60 convenience branches, and another 29 shops at Welcome Break locations. It combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop – dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. Waitrose also exports its products to 50 countries worldwide and has seven shops in the Middle East. (www.waitrose.com)
¹ Conlumino Awards, 2014
² Good Housekeeping Best Supermarket 2014, Which? Best Supermarket 2014
³ Verdict Best Food and Grocery Retailer 2014
Enquiries
For further information please contact:
Emma Cole
Communications Officer, John Lewis
Email: emma.l.cole@johnlewis.co.uk
Telephone: 0207 798 3829