John Lewis

Ever since it opened its doors, John Lewis has been abuzz with people coming from far across Devon to browse and shop. Kate Connock, branch manager, said: “Since we opened on Friday 12th October, we’ve continued to see customers come through the doors to see what John Lewis Exeter has to offer. As the festive season fast approaches, our Christmas shop has proved popular as shoppers get ready to decorate their homes and look for the perfect gift for loved ones. The fashion department has also continued to trade well and customers are really enjoying the new technology we introduced in the...

The Exeter Green Party says claims about the benefits that John Lewis will bring to the city have been "hugely exaggerated".

In a public statement it also says environmental and social issues have either been an afterthought or ignored.

Below is the document in full taken from the party's website:

The opening of John Lewis in Exeter has resulted in some extraordinary claims about the benefits to the local economy. Andrew Bell , Exeter Green Party Policy Officer offers a reality check.

Firstly, I have nothing against John Lewis as a company; indeed...

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...

A national newspaper has praised the joint effort that went into securing the new John Lewis store for Exeter.

Observer journalist Zoe Wood wrote:

Despite the rearguard action being fought by government high street tsar Mary Portas, town centres around the country are being pushed to breaking point as retail chains are felled by the recession. One in seven high-street shops lies empty, with the recent failure of JJB Sports, which resulted in more than 130 closures, making a grim picture worse.

Against that backdrop, the strength of Exeter's retail centre – albeit...

Standing inside the doors of John Lewis as the gleaming new store prepared to open this morning, there was a palpable buzz, which was in the most part being created by the partners waiting to serve their first 'real' customers. Dress rehearsal over, now the staff of John Lewis need to step up to the mark and put all their training into practice to satisfy the eager customers waiting to come and take a look, shop and just absorb the ambiance. In the motivational speach just before the doors opened, JL partners were reminded that the most important thing for the store to achieve success...

Jemma Gill and her nan Pauline Roberts were surprised to find themselves first in the queue for the John Lewis store's big opening.

They had travelled from Hatherleigh and Bude to enjoy a day's shopping.

However they didn't expect to be in prime position for the historic event.

Jemma told The Exeter Daily: "We were really excited about John Lewis coming to Exeter and we thought we'd make a day of it.

"We decided to get here early as we expected there to be queues but we were quite surprsied when there was nobody here."

Jemma said she would previously...

Early morning commuters got their first peek inside the new John Lewis store today.

Barriers that had been shielding the site came down overnight revealing a glistening entrance area decorated with elegant chandeliers.

In the early morning half light the building was a far cry in appearance from the former eyesesore Debenhams building.

The front facia has been bedecked with pealights and the all-glass frontage hints at the treats that await shoppers inside.

Workers were putting the finishing touches to the new Exeter John Lewis store just hours ahead of opening today.

Outside, cleaners were jet washing the pavements whilst inside the windows were being cleaned to gleaming perfection.

City centre manager John Harvey was outside the store at 7am sharp.

He said: "The workers have done an amazing job to turn everything around and this part of the city centre looks completely different now.

"Not only have we got a marvellous new department store, we've got a great environment for the many, many people who are going...

The countdown is well and truly underway for the long-awaited opening of the John Lewis store in Exeter.

This was the scene this afternoon as contractors pulled out the stops to get the entrance area finished on time.

The TED team will be posting live from outside the store from 7.30am, so if you can't make it yourself, you won't miss a thing.

Exeter city centre manager, John Harvey, told TED: "Clearly there have been some late challenges which have resulted from the interface between the paving work and utilities, and dealing with the significance of buried...

So, 24 hours and counting until John Lewis opens its doors in Sidwell Street. But if you’re not someone who lives or works in or near the city centre, how are you going to get there?

“The important message is that it's going to be incredibly popular and incredibly busy,” says John Harvey, the city centre manager. “We have the car-parking capacity in the city centre to cope with that, but clearly the common sense advice to people is if you're coming in we really recommend you use park and ride, public transport or the rail network.

“Central Station is two...