Lifestyle: John Lewis on countdown to grand opening
IT’S been decades in the making but on Thursday the dream of the John Lewis Partnership to have a presence in Birmingham will finally become a reality when its £35m flagship department store – the anchor tenant of the new Grand Central shopping centre – opens its doors for the first time.
TheBusinessDesk.com’s deputy editor Duncan Tift was one of a handful of journalists to be given a sneak preview of the new store just days before its official opening.
For those of a certain age the mere mention of the Lewis’s name within the context of the Birmingham retail scene evokes fond memories. Its imposing store in Corporation Street, next to Rackhams, symbolised the post-war optimism of the city, even though it first opened its doors in 1885.
However, after more than a century, the name disappeared from city’s retail roster in 1991 when its parent company lapsed into administration.
Nevertheless, within the next few days the city will prepare to welcome back the Lewis name to the city – although all the old and the new stores have in common is the name.
If the John Lewis Partnership had had its way then it would have already had a presence in Birmingham. Over the last 20 years the company has been scanning the city for a suitable site and was thought to have been close to signing up for the Martineau Galleries scene until the onset of recession put paid that.
Then, five years ago came the germ of an idea. As part of an ambitious scheme to redevelop Birmingham’s tired New Street Station there were rumours that a new department store could form the anchor of a major new shopping centre on a specially created concourse above the station’s platforms.
After assessing the options, the partnership finally signed its name on an agreement that promises to once again transform the city’s retail offering.
Partners (as this is the term the company bestows on its staff) have been working around the clock for the past few weeks in order to get the new £35m store up and running.
The cream of the company’s retail talent has been ensconced in a special centre at Aston Conference Centre for the past few weeks brainstorming ideas on how to make the new store different – to offer a retail experience not just unique to Birmingham but unique to the business as a whole.
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. The stock is conservatively estimated at around £20m.
Up to 70 multi-deck vehicles have been making 250 deliveries of stock a week in the run up to the opening.
But the results of the partners’ labours is there to see in a retail display set to have the company’s rivals making a sharp intake of breath as they reassess their own offerings.
Take for example the womenswear department, where a new shoe display features an incredible 400 different styles.
Meanwhile, the technology department will offer 16 different curved TV options, 117 styles of headphones and 143 different computers and tablets – including a special Apple stand.
The Home department will include 99 styles of rug, 91 ranges of china, and 90 different towel ranges, while the haberdashery offer will see the store offer customers a range of 300 yarns, 154 different buttons and nearly 300 ribbon designs.
There is even an in-store car park – although it only has space for one car, and a small one at that. The classic Fiat 500 is part of a display for the DeLonghi range of domestic appliances.
As part of its unique offering, the Birmingham store will also feature a new fashion and lifestyle concept.
‘FOUND at John Lewis’ will offer customers new and niche contemporary brands (see below) across womenswear, accessories, beauty, homeware and technology.
It will be debuted on Thursday when the store opens before going live on the retailer’s website.
The concept will then roll out as part of the transformation of the partnership’s Liverpool fashion floor, which is due to be unveiled in November this year.
Paula Nickolds, brand and buying director at John Lewis said: “’FOUND at John Lewis marks a fundamental shift in the way we sell fashion at John Lewis. The concept signals a real change of pace for John Lewis fashion. It will feel fresh and visually authoritative, bringing together a new selection of brands with existing collections in a concise way within a beautiful setting. It will showcase our take on trends in a way that we hope will be desirable and inspirational for our customers coupled with the service and quality they have come to expect from us.
“(It) will bring together fashion, home and technology products in a way we haven’t done before. Through our customer insight we know our customers want an edited selection of product and they like all parts of their life to reflect their style, extending beyond their clothes to the candles in their homes and the headphones they wear.”
The design of the new concept will have a clean, contemporary feel with a neutral palette that allows the product to stand out. Specialist partners (employees) will be chosen for their style expertise and will be on hand to provide expert knowledge and advice.
In total, 27 new brands will be introduced as part of FOUND at John Lewis.
These are:
Clothing: Barbour International, Penfield, Rains, Waven, Levi’s, Maison Scotch, BZR by Bruuns Bazaar, Supertrash, Samsøe & Samsøe, Urban Code, Hygge by Mint Velvet, Parka London, Minimum, Numph, Des Petits Hauts
Denim Wardrobe by Trilogy: Hartford, Cooper & Ella, 360 Sweater, Velvet by Graham Spencer, Joie, Pyrus, Helene Berman, Rosemunde, Vilagallo, Rails, 7 for All Mankind, Paige, DL 1961, J Brand, AG, America Vintage and James Jeans
Accessories: Fay et Fille, Jane Tran, Dogeared, Hunter bags, Eclectica Vintage, Jessie Harris, Fjallraven Kanken, Skinny Dip
Shoes: Nike, Asics Onitsuka Tiger, Converse, Moonboot, Superga
Beauty: Maison Margiela, Grown Alchemist, This Works, Cheeky Nails, Atelier, Dr Bronner
Homeware: Normann Copenhagen, Melt Chocolate, Artisan du Chocolat, True Being, Punktun Notebooks, Paddywax, Urban Olfactory, Poole Pottery, Botticario de Havanna, Amelia Robe Chocolate, School of Life, Tom Dixon
Technology: Mightypurse, Braven, Frends, Sonix phone cases
The display area in Birmingham will stretch across more than 4,000 sq ft. It will open with a pop-up brand installation from Shore Project watches which will showcase its new season designs and launch its new knitwear brand Old Harry. This permanent area will evolve every six weeks and will be used as a space for experiences, installations and brand pop ups. The next brand on the schedule is House of Hackney who will be showcasing their eclectic blend fashion and homewares together with their collaboration with William Morris.
Customers visiting the display area will be able to take a break from their shopping in the fashionable Joe and the Juice café.
The womenswear department will also have exclusive brands such as Bruce Oldfield, which will be available nowhere else in the city.
It also has high hopes for its Home Design service, while room displays within the furniture department have proved so popular in other areas that customers have ordered entire displays.
The store is also keen to recognise its community and is making great play by the fact it is stocking products which are made in the Midlands.
Nowhere is this more prominent than in the pottery and kitchenware areas where goods by the likes of Denby, Spode and Emma Bridgewater are all in evidence.
It is also encouraging local designers, stocking exclusive lighting displays as well as bespoke jewellery collections from firms in the city’s Jewellery Quarter.
