John Lewis Exeter gets off to a flying start
Shoppers from Exeter and the surrounding areas celebrated as John Lewis opened the doors to its first shop in Devon on Friday 12th October. Within hours of opening, thousands of customers descended on the new shop, the retailer’s first flexible full line department store.
The Fashion department saw strong sales over the weekend, as Devon residents looked to update their winter wardrobes with brands such as Barbour, Mint Velvet, White Stuff and Phase Eight flying off the shelves.
For the home, John Lewis’ newly launched House range proved popular, with bedding and linens in particular attracting interest from shoppers and one of the very first purchases made was a John Lewis own brand rug. In the electrical department, tablets and TVs saw strong sales as customers took advantage of John Lewis Partners' trusted advice and product knowledge.
Customers also benefited from the shop’s technology, using the in-store online terminals to order from the extended product offering on johnlewis.com as well as the digital store guides to help them navigate around the shop.
The Place to Eat was a big hit and with sun continuing to shine throughout the weekend, the outside decking area was popular as shoppers drank coffee and took in the view. Sales of hot drinks over the weekend were equivalent to more than one per minute and over 200 pints of milk were used each day!
Kate Connock, branch manager, John Lewis Exeter said: “The past few days have been just fantastic! The atmosphere in the shop has been wonderful and we couldn’t have asked for a better reception from our customers. We hope to see this continue as we establish ourselves further in the local community.
“The strong trading figures over opening weekend have shown that John Lewis Exeter has got off to a great start and we look forward to seeing how this progresses over the coming weeks. All departments have shown very strong sales but it seems that the fashion department and the Place to Eat were real favourites with our customers."
Pauline Roberts, 76, from Bude, her granddaughter Jemma Gill, 31 from Hatherleigh, along with grandson Henry, were the first people in the queue on opening day.
Jemma said: "We woke up at 6am to come down here to do some Christmas shopping. Everyone has been looking forward to John Lewis opening in Exeter since it was announced and I can’t believe we were the first customers to step foot inside the new shop!”
Among other customers queuing on opening day, Dorothy Ferrier commented that since moving to Exeter from Edinburgh 13 years ago, that next to her family, it was a John Lewis she had missed most. In anticipation of the retailer’s arrival from Exeter, Rose Mounts, who has recently retired from a local company added that she had asked specifically for John Lewis gift vouchers as her leaving present and was looking forward to spending them on some jewellery.
The eagerly anticipated shop has 40,000 product lines across fashion, beauty, consumer electronics, home and nursery. John Lewis Exeter will be open Monday to Wednesday from 9am until 7pm, Thursday from 9am until 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 9am until 7pm and Sunday from 11am until 5pm (plus Sunday browse time from 10.30am till 11am).
