John Lewis Birmingham takes delivery of new stock ahead of its opening
BIRMINGHAM’S newest department store has begun taking deliveries of its stock ahead of its opening later this month.
The new John Lewis Birmingham is receiving around 250 deliveries a week, carrying 35,000 storage boxes.
The £35m regional flagship, anchor to the new Grand Central development, is set to open its doors to customers for the first time on September 24.
The John Lewis Partnership, which also includes Waitrose, will be hoping the Birmingham store can help turnaround performance after latest half year results show a major fall in profits.
Pre-tax profit before exceptions was down by 26% or £33.8m to £96.0m, predominantly driven by higher pension charges arising from volatility in the market driven assumptions and last year’s property profits.
It said conditions in the market will remain difficult, especially in grocery where there is little sign of any price inflation.
The Birmingham store will be one of the partnership’s largest shops in the UK, with a total internal area of 250,000 sq ft. It will also be John Lewis’ most efficient full line department store to date.
Approximately 4,000 fixtures will be used to display the 300,000 items stocked in the shop.
Up to 70 multi-deck vehicles will make the 250 deliveries of stock to the shop this week alone.
Stock will be carried in 35,000 totes and 1,500 cages – enough to fill the Genting Arena twice over.
Laid end to end, the 35,000 stock delivery totes would stretch 13 miles – the equivalent of the distance from the shop to Bromsgrove, or Wolverhampton.
John Lewis Birmingham’s womenswear department will feature an incredible 400 styles of women’s shoes – one style of shoe for each event held at the NEC in a year.
The technology department will offer 16 different curved TV options, 117 styles of headphones and 143 different computers and tablets.
The home department will include 99 styles of rug, 91 ranges of china, and 90 different towel ranges.
John Lewis’ haberdashery offer will see the Birmingham flagship offer customers a range of 300 yarns, 154 different buttons and nearly 300 ribbon designs.
