John Lewis vows to increase furniture market share with new store format

18th August 2009 | retail | The boss of department store retailer John Lewis says the furniture and homeware market is ripe for consolidation and that it will bring its dedicated home stores to places people never dreamed capable of hosting a John Lewis store.

In an interview with the Times newspaper, md Andy Street said the failure of a number of high profile retailers had left a vacuum John Lewis hoped to fill – believing it can mop up market share in the furniture and home categories.

He also admitted that the standalone home concept, due to pilot later this year in Poole, Dorset, was partly created out of necessity as larger retail schemes that would typically attract John Lewis as the anchor tenant had dried up as a result of the consumer downturn.

If the Poole store is successful, the smaller format home platform will be rolled out across the country with as many as 50 stores mooted.