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John Lewis has revealed plans for a flexible format department store in Oxford city centre.
The 100,000 sq ft shop, which has a target opening date of 2017, will anchor will anchor a new development as part of the city’s Westgate Centre.
John Lewis managing director Andy Street said: “Oxford has long been a sought-after location for us and we’re delighted to be able to expand our reach to customers across the region for the first time, providing them with more convenient access to our inspiring products and great service.”
The shop. which is set to create 500 new jobs, will have three floors, and will include home, fashion and consumer electronics assortments. Computer terminals in the branch will allow shoppers to browse the wider John Lewis online offer and order for home delivery or next day collection at the shop. There will also be a customer café and a dedicated customer collection entrance located in the basement of the Westgate Centre’s new car park.
John Lewis opened its first flexible format department store in Exeter city centre in October 2012, and two further shops are set to open in York and Chelmsford.
The retailer says its flexible department store concept provides another option for showcasing a range of products in locations throughout the country, with shops averaging 65,000sq ft to 100,000sq ft of selling space.
In 2007 John Lewis committed to a department store in Oxford city centre and began to work with Capital Shopping Centre to deliver a new shop, but due to economic circumstances the development was unable to progress.
John Lewis’ sister grocery chain Waitrose already has a presence in the Oxford area with several supermarkets and two Waitrose Welcome Breaks.
