John Lewis has announced its ambition to bring the brand to a new set of international customers by confirming plans to open at Heathrow's Terminal 2 on 4 June 2014.
The retailer is investing over £1m in a 3600ft² shop at the airport, curating the best of home, fashion, gifting and seasonal ranges. John Lewis Heathrow will showcase many of its own-brand products, designer collaborations and exclusives.
The new Terminal 2, to be known as Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal, in honour of Her Majesty The Queen is the latest phase of the five year, £11b transformation of Heathrow. John Lewis Heathrow will be located on the top floor of the departure lounge and will form part of the first impression for passengers passing through security. The plans include the creation of around 40 new jobs.
Andy Street, John Lewis MD, says: "This new opening is a huge and exciting step forward in developing our international strategy, giving us access to one of the most concentrated, valuable and influential markets in the world. We recently made clear our ambition to further develop our online presence internationally in addition to increasing our international wholesale business. This opportunity at Heathrow perfectly complements and enhances these initiatives."
Muriel Zingraff-Shariff, retail director at Heathrow, says: 'We're excited to bring John Lewis to Heathrow and share this much-loved British retail brand with our international audience. Our passengers love the retail experience at Heathrow and this shows our commitment to delivering stores that will delight them and bring real value to their journey. It's just one of the reasons we've been voted Europe's Best Airport at ACI's 9th annual Airport Awards.'
John Lewis currently delivers to 33 countries outside the UK and Ireland which equates to 75% of Terminal 2 destinations. The retailer is also expanding its international wholesale business developing a specific offer focused on bed, bath and tableware in partnership with four Shinsegae department stores in South Korea, with plans to roll out the offer to more of their stores.
Built and designed with passengers at its heart, Terminal 2 will be a spacious, open terminal with multi-lingual ambassadors and personal shoppers on hand to help customers make the most of their journey. Heathrow is home to some of the world's most successful retail space with annual net sales of over £1.7b serving passengers from around 180 worldwide destinations.
