JOHN Lewis has started to reopen its shops as lockdown measures ease, starting with the Kingston and Poole branches today. A further 11 of the department store’s shops will open on Thursday, June 18, as the company takes a gradual approach to returning to normal. More shops will open later this summer, depending on how […]
JOHN Lewis has started to reopen its shops as lockdown measures ease, starting with the Kingston and Poole branches today.
A further 11 of the department store’s shops will open on Thursday, June 18, as the company takes a gradual approach to returning to normal.
More shops will open later this summer, depending on how staff and customers find the new ways of working, John Lewis said.
John Lewis shut all of its 50 shops on March 23 – the first time it has done so in its 155-year history.
Only two of its branches – Kingston and Poole – are open today.
The Kingston store is open from 9.30am until 6pm, and the Poole store from 10am until 6pm.
If you want to check the details for your local store, you can use John Lewis’s store finder on its website.
Although 11 more stores are opening this week, there is currently no information about when the remaining stores will be trading again.
John Lewis has opened two stores today, Monday June 15, with more to follow later in the week
Opening June 15:
Opening June 18:
John Lewis has put measures in place to keep staff and customers safe when they are shopping.
But this means stores will look quite different.
There will be social distancing signage to help people stay apart, new protocols for using lifts and escalators, rigorous cleaning, availability of hand sanitiser, and new “contactless” dropboxes for returns.
New “customer service hosts” will be on hand to help manage queues and customer numbers in the store.
Newly reopened stores will have toilet and baby changing facilities but fitting rooms will be closed.
Instead, John Lewis says shoppers will have up to 35 days to return items.
Bérangère Michel, executive director for customer service at the John Lewis Partnership said: “Our partners have been incredibly excited to welcome customers back into our department stores today.
“We are taking a gradual approach to reopening to make our shops as safe as they can possibly be for our customers and partners but this was a very welcome first step.
“Our first customers were really struck by the fact that they could still have an enjoyable experience and get the inspiration they wanted.”
Like many retailers, John Lewis has begun discounting prices online as it tries to clear a backlog of unsold stock.
The 70 per cent off clearance sale covers most major departments including men and women’s fashion, electronics, furniture and parenting, although many items have already sold out.
However, there remain thousands of offers on fashion items, white good such as washing machines, and TVs.
John Lewis says the sale will run until July 26 online, while stocks last.
John Lewis said that during the early weeks of lockdown, customers bought items that would help support them in their day-to-day lives during lockdown including home technology, office furniture and items to educate and entertain children.
However, early data showed that on Monday, customers were returning to shops to buy fashion items, kitchenware and technology – from washing machines to mobile phones.
High streets across the country have welcomed queues of shoppers waiting to get back into their favourite stores.
However, there are some stores that closed during lockdown which will never reopen.
Some things, such as gyms, still remain closed – but here’s what they could look like when they reopen.
