John Lewis Birmingham now open

Department store group John Lewis opened its new £35million Birmingham shop on September 24.

Anchor tenant of the city’s new Grand Central retail development directly above New Street Station, John Lewis Birmingham is the retailer’s largest shop to open in four years and one of the biggest John Lewis department stores in the UK.

The 250,000sq ft store has created 650 new jobs across Birmingham and the wider region. The retailer has revealed that it received over 10,000 applications for the new jobs – more than 15 applicants per role.

John Lewis describes the new branch as its most innovative shop to date, having been chosen to debut several brand new services and concepts, including fashion and lifestyle concept loved&found, and the first John Lewis-branded spa. These form part of the business’ ambition to expand the services and experiences within its shops and its commitment to investing in shops as part of an omnichannel approach.

Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis said the opening “sends a clear message that John Lewis is firmly committed to the British High Street and that physical shops remain as important to us as they do to our customers.

“Birmingham is a city which we have wanted to be a part of for many years and the New Street Station and Grand Central development offered us the perfect opportunity to make this a reality.

“Our new Birmingham regional flagship shop is a bold expression of the very best of John Lewis in 2015 and it is particularly exciting that customers will be able to step directly from New Street Station, into four floors of inspiring fashion, home and technology.”

John Lewis operates 45 John Lewis shops across the UK (32 department stores, 11 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. It typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 280,000 products.