John Lewis is expanding its hospitality offer to win back more shoppers.
After transactions at its instore cafés and restaurants rose by 6% over the past year, the retailer plans to add five new eateries to its stores by the end of 2025.
It follows the opening of a new Jamie Oliver Cookery School and 50-seat café at its newly renovated Oxford Street flagship store this week. John Lewis will now open Mediterranean-style Ori Caffes in Liverpool and Solihull “later this year”. Southampton is the other location confirmed to receive a new café.
In total, the investment will add 11,000 sq ft to John Lewis’s hospitality space, taking its number of in-store eateries to 62 by the end of the year.
One in five transactions made at John Lewis now come through its cafés or restaurants, and the retailer sees investment in hospitality as a “key element” of its turnaround strategy.
John Lewis will also ramp up its focus on “seasonal pop-ups” and food and drink related in-store activations. It will see the ground floor atrium at its Peter Jones department store in London “transformed” into a pop-up wine bar later in May. It will serve English wine to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show.
“Whether it’s a chance to ponder a purchase, or an escape from the bustle of the shop floor, having a varied and exciting assortment of hospitality offerings within our stores is vital for our customer experience,” said Katie Papakonstantinou, John Lewis director of services and hospitality.
“It’s why we are continuing to invest in new offerings, and why by the end of the year we plan to have over 60 dedicated hospitality spaces across our 36 stores.”
The expansion of hospitality comes as part of a wider £600m planned investment into John Lewis and Waitrose stores and supply chain over the next year, as part of the John Lewis Partnership’s renewed turnaround plan.
JLP’s profits tripled in 2024 after a difficult couple of years, as shoppers returned to stores. Despite the progress sales remained flat at John Lewis, and chairman Jason Tarry admitted there were still considerable “catch-up investments” to be made.
The partnership confirmed it will refurbish John Lewis stores in Liverpool and Bluewater, and will renovate a further five of its beauty halls. At least two new Little Waitrose stores will also open, with plans to refit 20 more Waitrose supermarkets this year.
Papakonstantinou described the Jamie Oliver Cookery School as “a fantastic addition” to John Lewis’s flagship store.
Ed Loftus, group restaurant director at the Jamie Oliver Group, said: “We are delighted to partner with John Lewis to bring our unique Cookery School to life in the flagship Oxford Street store. This is the next step in growing the footprint of the Jamie Oliver Cookery School across the UK and internationally.”
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