John Lewis is planning to transform its Peter Jones store in Chelsea, London, into a “flagship for the world”.
Executive director Peter Ruis told Retail Week that he wants “to surprise people” with what a department store can look like.
His ideas include changing the assortment to better reflect the local customer base and making use of the Grade II listed building’s roof terrace.
Ruis said: “What I can say is we have plans to radically overhaul Peter Jones to make it not just a flagship for Britain, but a flagship for the world in terms of a beautiful, one-of-a-kind department store.
Related Story
“We’re working on how best to do that but we see the opportunity in that catchment to really move the bar and change how we’re perceived, and move some of our fashion assortment towards a more premium positioning – which I think that catchment would allow us – and to surprise people around what a John Lewis, in this case, Peter Jones, department store could look like.
“That’s ongoing. I’ve got no timing on that but it’s a strong ambition. We’re just looking at the best way of doing that.
“It’s an incredible building and it has elements that are unused. It’s an opportunity for us to really raise the bar.”
John Lewis is currently undergoing a mass revamp of its entire store estate with the business making more than 650 store improvements.
The retailer will unveil its new look flagship on Oxford Street later this month, which will include a Waterstones concession, a fitted kitchen range and an expanded beauty hall.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter