John Lewis will invest £7 million in the shop and will create more than 100 new jobs, boosting local employment. The John Lewis at home will be a new build, extending over two floors with the ground and first floor selling areas totalling 40,000 sq ft, the plans also include a customer café.

The John Lewis at home format focuses on furniture, furnishing accessories, electrical and home technology. To allow customers to access and order a wider John Lewis assortment from johnlewis.com, customer online ordering points will be located throughout the shop and customers will also be able to use the free John Lewis Click and Collect service.

Andy Street, managing director, John Lewis, said: 'Worcester has long been a sought after destination for us, and I am delighted that we have now found an opportunity to bring John Lewis to the city. We believe the opening of a John Lewis at home in Worcester will offer customers in the local area a broader, modern, more convenient shopping offer. We look forward to becoming part of the local community and hope to add to the city's growing success.'

The John Lewis at home concept successfully launched in Poole in October 2009 and there are now 10 at home shops across the country. The opening of Worcester will follow the opening of a flagship regional department store in Birmingham demonstrating increased investment from the retailer in the West Midlands area.

Tim Harrison, director, store development, commented: 'At John Lewis we are committed to the communities in which we operate. Through the recruitment of over 100 new local Partners and our work with local community groups and charities, our aim is to become a fully integrated part of the local community. We will be supporting Land Securities through their planning application and hope the site and our unique offering will be a welcome addition to Worcester and surrounding areas.'

Nick Duffield, Portfolio Director for Land Securities, said: 'This is good news for Worcester. Bringing John Lewis to our proposed Worcester Woods development will make Worcester an even better destination for shoppers.'

Notes to editors

John Lewis - John Lewis operates 42 John Lewis shops across the UK (31 department stores, ten John Lewis at home and a shop at Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest example of worker co-ownership where all 90,000 staff are Partners in the business.

John Lewis, 'Multichannel Retailer of the Year 2014'¹, 'Best Overall Retailer'² and 'Best Retailer 2014'³, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 250,000 products, and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. (www.johnlewis.com). John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products - home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover - delivering the values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.

¹ Oracle Retail Week Awards 2014
² Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2014
³ Which? Awards 2014

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Enquiries

For further information please contact:

John Lewis
Laura Tattam, Senior Press Officer, Community
Telephone: 020 7592 5715
Email: laura.tattam@johnlewis.co.uk