Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
John Lewis Partnership has made a clean sweep in a survey to find the UK’s favourite retailer.
Department store chain John Lewis gained the top spot in the poll of over 6,000 shoppers, while sister company Waitrose came second. All of the top five retailers sell housewares.
In the survey, the Consumer Satisfaction Index 2008, carried out by retail analysts Verdict Research, John Lewis even managed to increase its overall satisfaction score since last year giving it a considerable lead over all other retailers – and the highest score ever attained in the index.
Verdict quizzed customers about where they shopped most frequently, and then asked them to rate those stores in terms of range, price, convenience, quality, service, ambience, facilities and layout.
John Lewis regained the top spot, having been nudged into second place last year by Waitrose. The department store business performs well across a range of categories but excels in service. Meanwhile, Waitrose took over the second position, doing particularly well in both ambience and layout.
Specialist homewares retailer Dunelm comes in at number three, rated for choice in store and its keen prices. In fourth place is internet retailer Amazon, where customers are satisfied with the depth of range, price competitiveness and convenience.
Ikea is at number five, extensive product choice being the primary driver of satisfaction.
When it comes to individual retail sectors, the strength of JLP is further revealed. The department store side of the business comes top in three sectors – homewares, clothing and electricals, while Waitrose tops the food and grocery sector.
Top 10 retailers in the Consumer Satisfaction Index 2008
| 2008 rank | Retailer | 2007 rank | 2007-08 rank change |
| 1 | John Lewis | 2 | Up 1 |
| 2 | Waitrose | 1 | Down 1 |
| 3 | Dunelm | 8 | Up 5 |
| 4 | Amazon | 4 | No change |
| 5 | Ikea | 3 | Down 2 |
| 6 | H&M | 6 | No change |
| 7 | Play.com | 7 | No change |
| 8 | Avon | 17 | Up 9 |
| 9 | Wickes | 29 | Up 20 |
| 10 | Gap | 20 | Up 10 |
Source: Verdict Consulting
Top three retailers in each retail sector 2008
| Sector | Top retailer | Second Retailer | Third Retailer |
| Homewares | John Lewis | Dunelm | Ikea |
| Clothing | John Lewis | H&M | Asda/George |
| DIY | Wickes | B&Q | Wilkinson |
| Footwear | TKMaxx | Asda/George | Marks & Spencer |
| Food & grocery | Waitrose | Aldi | Lidl |
| Music & video | Amazon | Play.com | iTunes |
| Personal care | Avon | Wilkinson | Sainsbury’s |
| Electricals | John Lewis | PC World | Asda |
Source: Verdict Research
