John Lewis today reveals its newly redesigned store layout in Horsham, moving from existing ‘at home’ format to a one stop destination for fashion, beauty, tech and home design. This is part of a trial testing a series of new concepts and services for John Lewis customers.
Across 47,000sq ft, Horsham shoppers can now discover a curated range of sought after fashion and beauty brands, including Barbour, Levis, Whistles and Baukjen, alongside Dior, Jo Malone and Bobbi Brown, as well as a range of personalised services including an Elemis beauty treatment room.
The newly redesigned store is one of five co-located with a Waitrose shop, with 50% of Waitrose customers already shopping in the John Lewis next door. The new look provides existing Partners with an opportunity to upskill and has created several additional jobs.
New design and layout
The store itself has been designed to better reflect the local community it serves and respond to its needs via a new layout. A host of free services such as personal styling and nursery and sleep appointments have been introduced where customers can tap into the impartial advice from our expert Partners. We’ve also relocated our Click and Collect service and extended its operating hours to suit the needs of our customers’ busy lives.
On the ground floor a new kids area has been installed to engage and entertain our younger audience while they shop with us and is the start of things to come as we expand our family offer in the year ahead. The kids area encompasses an interactive trail, treasure hunt, activity table and our nursery advice service alongside kids fashion brands including Polarn O Pyret and Pure Baby, as well as our own brand childrenswear collections.
Shopping by senses
John Lewis has worked with neuroscience experts to help it enhance areas of the shop with sensory elements. They applied a method called “sensory prescription’’®, where they work in the same way a doctor would prescribe. They worked with the retailer’s in-house team to look at store designs and prescribed colours, sounds and scents, tailoring them to the specific areas, looking at what John Lewis sells and how it wants customers to feel.
One area where John Lewis is applying this concept to is ‘Sleep’ – its experts advise that customers need to spend at least 10-20 minutes on a mattress that they believe is right for them, so the retailer has created a relaxed environment that is conducive to a great night’s sleep. A citrus scent, calming sleep sounds and neutral painted walls have been introduced to enable customers to test and make their mattress decision in the best conditions.
Jack Howe, nranch manager, John Lewis Horsham, says: “We’ve listened to our local customers in Horsham and we’re thrilled they can now shop and experience a larger John Lewis offering with more departments. Early customer reaction has been incredibly positive and they love our new look.
“As shoppers return to the high street, our multi-million pound investment provides a major boost for the town centre and will attract more shoppers into the store.”
