Just before the shop opened Branch Manager, Claire Dunkason, addressed new Partners (staff). The welcome speech outlined the importance of opening the first John Lewis at home shop in Sussex and the key role Partners will play in making their shop a success.
To officially mark the occasion, the ribbon was cut by representatives from the three local organisations the shop is supporting as part of its charitable giving scheme, Community Matters; Stonepillow, The Sussex Snowdrop Trust and Chichester Cathedral Restoration and Development Trust.
Claire Dunkason, Branch Manager of John Lewis at home Chichester, said: “We are thrilled to have opened our new shop in Chichester today and it’s incredible to see how much we have achieved over the last seven months. From the construction of the building and training our new Partners to last week’s stock delivery, every element has worked brilliantly and enabled us to be ready to welcome customers here today.
“We are confident that we can serve our customers well by giving them convenient access to a wide range of John Lewis products and providing the exceptional customer service John Lewis is renowned for.
“My team and I are keen to be part of the local community and look forward to meeting more customers in the coming weeks.”
The launch of the new shop was also celebrated by brother and sister, Leo and Polly Tregear, who beat hundreds of children in Chichester with their prize winning designs for the perfect Easter egg. Their winning picture will be displayed in frames on the shop floor during opening week.
John Lewis at home Chichester focuses on furniture, furnishing accessories, homeware, home and electrical technology, travel goods and a small assortment of nursery.
John Lewis at home Chichester is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 8pm, Saturday from, 9am until 7pm and Sunday from 11am until 5pm (plus Sunday browse time from
10.30am till 11am).
John Lewis at home Chichester will be closed on Easter Sunday.
Notes to Editors
The John Lewis Partnership - The John Lewis Partnership operates 39 John Lewis shops across the UK (30 department stores and nine John Lewis at home), johnlewis.com, 291 Waitrose shops, waitrose.com and business to business contracts in the UK and abroad. The business has annual gross sales of over £9.5bn. It is the UK's largest example of worker co-ownership where all 84,700 staff are Partners in the business.
John Lewis - John Lewis, 'Retailer of the Year 2013'* , 'The Nation's Best Retailer'** and 'Multichannel Retailer of the Year 2013'*, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores. The website stocks over 200,000 products focused on the best of fashion, beauty, home and giftware and electrical items including online exclusives. johnlewis.com 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 usual values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.
* Oracle Retail Week Awards 2013
** Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2013