John Lewis aims to expand international presence with airport store

John Lewis is opening its first airport store in Heathrow’s Terminal Two as it opes to build brand awareness among overseas consumers and expand its international presence.

John Lewis

The retailer plans to stock a selection of its own-brand ranges, exclusive products and designer collaborations across its home, fashion, gifting and seasonal departments.

The Terminal Two store will be staffed by multi-lingual speakers to offer an improved service to international customers and it will offer a personal shopping service. It will open in June 2014.

Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis says: “This new opening is a huge and exciting step forward in developing our international strategy, giving us access to one of the most concentrated, valuable and influential markets in the world. We recently made clear our ambition to further develop our online presence internationally in addition to increasing our international wholesale business. This opportunity at Heathrow perfectly complements and enhances these initiatives.”

John Lewis already delivers to 33 countries and is expanding its international wholesale business in partnership with South Korean department store chain Shinsegae. It is rolling out a range of bed, bath and tableware ranges across the chain.

Heathrow earns more than £1.7bn in retail sales each year and serves customers from more than 180 worldwide destinations.

Terminal Two is also to be renamed “The Queen’s Terminal” in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, as part of an £11bn five-year transformation. More than 55,000 visitors will pass through the terminal each day when the redevelopment is complete.

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