In an ecommerce context, John Lewis did much to make ecommerce acceptable to an older, wealthier demographic in the UK (now generating over 40% of company revenue), but overall has been slipping of late (online, in stores, and in supply chain/product ranging/product development), with the group being kept afloat by the Waitrose supermarket division including ecommerce (although somewhat behind M&S/Ocado), and financial services.
There is talk of further store closures:
- rumours that John Lewis will follow the trend of department stores exiting Oxford Street in central London, leaving the chain’s original site after nearly 160 years (the current building is newer, the original being partially destroyed by a German bomb in WW2)
- I personally also suspect that the store in the Brent Cross shopping centre in North London will close before it gets to being 50 years old, as a part of the redevelopment of the shopping centre
- leaving one store in central London (“Peter Jones” in chi chi Sloane Square) and stores in the Westfield owned shopping centres on the East and West edges of London