Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
The John Lewis Partnership has renamed its John Lewis and Waitrose brands to highlight their employee-owned status.
The John Lewis Partnership is the UK’s largest example of an employee-owned business where all 83,000 staff are ‘Partners’ or co-owners.
The department store group John Lewis been now has renamed ‘John Lewis & Partners’ and the supermarket chain Waitrose has become ‘Waitrose & Partners’.
John Lewis & Partners managing director Paula Nickolds said: “Our Partnership business model and the inherent strength of our Partners really sets us apart. That’s why the change to our visual identity puts Partners back at the heart of everything we do. This move not only reflects the business we have become but more importantly, the business we want to be.”
Waitrose & Partners managing director Rob Collins added: “This is far more significant than simply adding words and changing the design. It symbolises something bigger, expressing what’s different about our business and signalling our intent to make that difference count for even more: committed, knowledgeable Partners who care about the business they own, sharing their love of food and offering great customer service.”
On September 4 the new names of ‘John Lewis & Partners’ and ‘Waitrose & Partners’ were unveiled on the facades of John Lewis’ flagship shop on Oxford Street, which has undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment, its shop at White City, Westfield, and Waitrose’s shops in Edgware Road and Clerkenwell in London – as well as on johnlewis.com, waitrose.com, carrier bags, uniforms, trolleys, marketing activity, internal shop signs and selected lorries and vans.
The full identity change to all 348 Waitrose and 50 John Lewis shop facades and the combined fleet of 3,500 lorries and vans is being phased over a number of years to tie in with refurbishment plans.
Both retailers are investing in their Partners to enhance their skills and product knowledge. New initiatives include the creation of Customer Service Ambassadors to provide personalised customer service front-of-store, healthy eating specialists, training Partners to offer a concierge style service, and equipping personal stylists with the skills to deliver daily fashion talks.
The launch of the new identity is being supported by the first ever joint John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners national marketing campaign; the single biggest ever campaign for both brands outside of Christmas. It includes a TV and cinema advert, which features children performing in a school play to the sound of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody song and ends with the line ‘For us, it’s personal’. The TV ad can be viewed on www.johnlewis.com and www.waitrose.com and the companies’ YouTube channels.
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