John Lewis to launch standalone home and electricals format

John Lewis is to open standalone homewares and electricals stores in a bid to gain greater coverage of the UK market.

The department store chain will invest £6m into the new strategy and the first shop will open in Poole in October. The retailer said there are approximately 30 locations across the UK in underserved markets where it could operate the new format shops.

John Lewis retail director Gareth Thomas said: "We know our competitors have a much higher level of coverage in the UK than we do and our research has shown that there are growth opportunities for our business in smaller format shops, giving our customers more convenient access to John Lewis packages."

The first shop, which has a selling space of 45,000 sq ft, will trade roughly two-thirds of its home and electricals products offered in the full-line stores. It will stock all home categories apart from home decorating, floor coverings and fitted kitchens. A name for the new format store has not yet been confirmed.

The new format will also offer click and collect from its full online offer, including fashion, via three kiosks within the stores.

John Lewis said the new format shops will open both in and out of town, although "a substantial proportion" would be on out of town retail parks. The Poole store is on Land Securities' Commerce Centre Retail Park, just 39 miles from its full-line department store in nearby Southampton.