John Lewis launches beauty-led store makeovers as part of £800m investment

The boss of the department store giant said some of its stores needed “more love” after a challenging few years for the retail giant, which has included store closures and thousands of job losses.

The company has committed to inject more than £250 million into its stores over the next two years as part of the plan, which will pump a total of £800 million into the John Lewis brand over the next four years.

On Thursday, John Lewis revealed a significant shake-up to its store on Oxford Street in London, which included a new partnership with Jamie Oliver.

Next year, the business will open a Jamie Oliver Cafe and cooking school at the site.

Bosses at the Jamie Oliver Group said this was an initial site but that there are hopes for future locations at John Lewis stores, depending on performance.

The £6.5 million Oxford Street store upgrade also included a new larger beauty hall, a dedicated fragrance space and Waterstones bookshop within the store.

John Lewis said its stores in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and Cheadle, Greater Manchester, are also set to receive new expanded beauty halls as part of store makeovers.

The retailer said it has been boosted by strong recent beauty sales, which were up almost 7% over the first half of 2024, compared with the previous year.

Peter Ruis, executive director for John Lewis, said: “The buzz is back in John Lewis and we’re giving our customers even more reasons to shop in our brilliant stores.

“We’re backing ourselves with significant investment to ensure customers get the exceptional quality, outstanding service, and competitive prices they love about our unique brand.”

The employee-owned business also hailed a strong start to Christmas trading, with sales from its Christmas shop up 18% year-on-year so far.

Mr Ruis said the company has seen “optimism” among shoppers in recent months despite continued pressure on consumer budgets.