Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
John Lewis will be opening two food concessions as part of a move to significantly develop its food offer and create inspiration for customers visiting its shops.
The retailer has joined forces with Hotel Chocolat and Joe & The Juice to open separate outlets in two of its department stores.
Hotel Chocolat’s cocoa bar café concept will open in Edinburgh in early 2014 followed by York, when its flexible format shop opens in spring 2014, while Joe & The Juice will open in Solihull.
Joe & The Juice focuses on health and lifestyle food, serving freshly squeezed juice and sandwiches. Founded in Copenhagen, the brand opened its first UK outlet in 2009 and now has four cafes in London. The John Lewis tie-up in Solihull will be its first UK site outside of London.
The Hotel Chocolat cocoa bar café will make small-batch chocolates on the premises using cocoa beans from Hotel Chocolat’s Saint Lucia estate. The café will feature a cocoa-inspired menu and will have a conch on site to process cocoa from bean to chocolate. The John Lewis Edinburgh branch will be the first time Hotel Chocolat has opened a catering concession with a major high street retailer.
John Lewis said the move is part of its ‘ongoing strategy to create inspiring environments for customers in its physical shops’. In June this year it opened Little Waitrose in its Watford department store.
Andrew Murphy, retail director at John Lewis, said: “Food is a big part of our customers’ lives. They already come to us for the latest kitchen gadgets, cookware, and for edible treats to give as presents. These collaborations will take our offer one step further, inspiring customers with exceptional food and drink freshly prepared in our shops.
“We want to create more compelling reasons than ever for customers to visit our shops, and partnering with two such inspiring brands will be a real draw. The concessions will sit alongside our existing Place to Eat restaurants, complementing them but offering something a little different from the everyday.”
