How UK’s John Lewis Outdoes Australian Department Stores
On this year’s LFRA Overseas Study Tour, members were given an exclusive tour of John Lewis & Partners’ flagship store on London’s Oxford Street by Ben Saunders, Manager of Furniture and Seasonal Departments.
The flagship store opened in 1864 and is now a five-level 24,000 m2 store. Since then John Lewis has expanded to a network of 51 stores in Great Britain and includes five concession stalls in Myer across Warringah, Melbourne, Perth, Bondi and Chadstone.
Ben told Tour Members that there is a genuine need for “touch and feel”, especially for homeware and furniture, and retail stores satisfy that need.
Difference between John Lewis and Myer and David Jones
There once was a time where Myer and David Jones, two of Australia’s largest department stores, housed departments such as stationery, lighting and white goods. Now they generally offer customers products and services across national and international brands in fashion, beauty, food, technology, and homewares.
As a result of the reduced range, Australians shop elsewhere and speciality retailers emerged and dominate the local retail market. Following the recent financial year, it was discovered that the decline of Australian department stores contradicted the performance of the broader retail sector, with many listed companies hitting 52-week share price highs, including Large Format Retailers JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman[1].
Unlike Myer and David Jones, John Lewis chose to maintain these departments because their customers want range, even if it is a small demographic. Ben stated that losing or diminishing departments would mean losing or diminishing a part of John Lewis’ character.
To maintain relevance, boost foot traffic and increase interest, John Lewis has also diversified their services by regularly partnering with brands to host events at their stores’ dedicated events spaces. Registration for tickets are free and accessible via Eventbrite. Having these events advertised on Eventbrite rather than their website increases exposure and makes it easier for customers to search for an event at their local John Lewis store.
As of 1 November 2019, John Lewis hosted 265 events across their stores with another 66 events leading up to Christmas. These events go beyond the expected fashion styling, beauty and make up events to include crochet, yoga, calligraphy, cooking and wine tasting and rooftop cinemas.
Designing Bespoke Homes at John Lewis
Your home is an expression of who you are. There is a growing demand for customised furniture and designer homes are made possible at UK department store chain John Lewis & Partners.
If customers need assistance with furnishing their home, John Lewis Home Design Stylists offer two types of appointments, in-store or at home.
In-store appointments are complimentary one-on-one 90-minute appointments where the Stylist can help customers devise a new look for one room, pulling together everything from flooring and curtains to the finishing touches. The Stylist will then build a list of selected items and can place orders for the customer if they wish.
If more than one room is to be refurbished, John Lewis also offers a two-hour home visit and a one-hour follow-up in store. The £250 consultation fee is redeemable when the customer spends over £1500 through the Home Design Service.
Digital mood boards are used; however, John Lewis are currently trialling virtual reality and other software for personalised home design styling. VR goggles would offer another interactive experience and allow the customer to visualise what the products may look like in their home.
Bespoke armchairs and sofas are another personalised service at John Lewis. It is available online and instore with almost 300 designs and 300 types of fabrics and leathers to choose from. Neutral colours of most John Lewis sofa and armchair models are stocked at a warehouse to meet the growing demand for bespoke furniture and customers can expect 7-day delivery. For other designs, customers can expect their personalised furniture to be delivered within 8-10 weeks.
John Lewis heavily invests in creating new and exciting showrooms to inspire their customers. It is not uncommon for new local developments such as apartments and hotels to be fully furnished by John Lewis, or for wealthy customers to buy whole showrooms at a time.
In addition, John Lewis dedicates time to further customer relations to build brand loyalty and a strong returning customer base. For example, John Lewis has a longstanding relationship with The Royal Family and supplies goods and furniture to its palaces. To foster this relationship, the John Lewis flagship store hosts a yearly private event for royal household staff to shop at their leisure.
This article is a part of a 10-segment series covering the 2019 LFRA Overseas Study Tour.
[1] https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/death-spiral-will-david-jones-and-myer-still-be-around-in-10-years-20190802-p52d6k.html
