Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
John Lewis unveils The Residence today (Saturday September 16): its first ever fully furnished in-store apartment.
Launching at three John Lewis branches at Oxford Street, Cambridge and Liverpool, everything in The Residence is for sale.
The Residence is open daily and is a space for customers to try, experience and shop. Each includes a living and dining area and a fully furnished bedroom. The Oxford Street branch also features a fitted kitchen, study and indoor terrace.
The apartments have all the characteristics of a home: a daily newspaper delivery, fresh coffee and the sound of the radio in the background. Their cupboards and wardrobes are filled with products across home, fashion and technology.
John Lewis director of customer experience Peter Cross said: “The Residence is the ultimate try-before-you-buy experience. We want our customers to discover an altogether different way of shopping. By encouraging them to bounce up and down on a bed and sit around a dressed dining table, we’re aiming to create an environment which is a close as possible to their homes. Our expert partners will be on hand to help customers shop, explore, dine or even stay the night.”
This is a reference to the ‘Saturdays at The Residence’ experience. Customers can apply for an overnight stay at The Residence, with an exclusive opportunity to explore the store after the doors have closed. The sleepover will include private use of The Residence from 6.30pm until 9am the following day, plus 60 minutes of after-hours private shopping time with a personal shopper – or an access-all-areas tour of the department store.
Meanwhile, once a week at The Residence in Oxford Street, customers will be able to apply to host their dream dinner party for up to 10 people. During the privately catered experience, a chef will prepare and serve a special menu, with guests able to request their favourite cocktail to be shaken or stirred by The Residence’s mixologist on arrival. To end the evening, customers can either while the night away with a selection of dinner party board games, or cosy up in front of one of the shop’s biggest and best plasma screens.
At The Residence in Liverpool and Cambridge, customers will be able to apply to host their own private brunches. Every Saturday up to six guests can enjoy a two hour dining experience that will include Mimosas and freshly prepared brunch dishes. Guests will receive a newspaper delivery of their choice and will be able to enjoy morning radio as well as personal shopping advice from The Residence concierge.
Customers can apply for the chance to sleepover, dine or brunch at The Residence by visiting the concierge team in the Oxford Street, Cambridge or Liverpool branches over two consecutive weekends in September: Saturday 16-Sunday 17 or Saturday 23-Sunday 24. Customers will be selected at random and the lucky ones will be contacted to confirm the date of their experience.
For those unable to book an exclusive sleepover or dining experience, The Residence remains open to all throughout shop opening hours, and will host a series of free customer workshops.
The series will include: ‘Night night, sleep tight’ (how to choose the duvet and pillow that’s best for you); ‘A lightbulb moment’ (a lighting workshop that explains everything from bulbs and wattage to creating mood lighting); and ‘Tables of the unexpected’ (a dining workshop that gives hints and tips from hosting a cocktail hour with canapes to dressing the perfect dinner table).
The Residence is part of the ‘Only Here’ Autumn Exclusives campaign, which celebrates new season products, collections and brands that are exclusive to John Lewis.
