John Lewis is expanding its café and restaurant offering in a renewed effort to drive footfall, enhance the in-store experience, and re-establish itself as a destination retailer for middle England.
The department store group has announced plans to open five new cafés and restaurants across its estate this year, reflecting what it called the “growing importance of food and drink” in its department store strategy.
The move comes as one in five in-store transactions now takes place in a hospitality setting, with hospitality sales up 6% in the 12 months to April. The company said the uplift reflects customers’ growing desire for a more experiential visit that goes beyond retail.
“While shopping is at the heart of the experience, customers also want a broader in-store visit,” said Katie Papakonstantinou, director of services and hospitality at John Lewis.
“By continuing to invest and bring in new and exciting dining concepts, we can enhance loyalty and increase customers’ fondness for their local store.”
John Lewis will extend its Mediterranean-themed Ori Caffè concept to its Liverpool and Solihull branches this year, and open a new café in Southampton, bringing the total number of in-store cafés and restaurants to 62.
Ori Caffè currently operates in eight locations and is part of a wider hospitality push that saw a 750,000-visit increase to its Place to Eat restaurants last year. New openings have included a Caffè Nero in White City, a new Ori Caffè in High Wycombe, and the relaunch of the Oxford Street rooftop space as the 1864 Rooftop Bar & Kitchen.
Seasonal pop-ups are also part of the strategy. This month, to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show, the atrium of the Peter Jones store in Chelsea will be transformed into a floral-themed wine bar serving a range of English wines.
The most high-profile addition is a new Jamie Oliver Cookery School and Café, which opened this week at the Oxford Street flagship. The 4,600 sq ft space features two classrooms and a 50-seat café on the third floor, further positioning the brand as a lifestyle destination.
The hospitality expansion is part of a broader turnaround plan spearheaded by Jason Tarry, the former Tesco executive who took over as chairman last September. His predecessor, Dame Sharon White, faced criticism over aggressive cost-cutting, which included store closures and bonus reductions, and struggled to adapt to changing consumer habits.
Tarry is seeking to bring the business back to its retail roots, reinstating its famous “never knowingly undersold” pledge — dropped in 2022 — and focusing on quality, value, and customer service. John Lewis is also investing in its physical stores and offering customer service retraining to all staff.
The efforts appear to be bearing fruit. The John Lewis Partnership reported a pre-tax profit of £126 million for the year to January 25, 2025 — up from £42 million the year before — with sales rising 3% to £12.8 billion.
“These are solid results, which show that our customers are responding well to our investments,” said Tarry. “We have made good progress — with much more still to do.”
As high street retailers continue to grapple with shifting shopping habits, John Lewis is betting that good food, engaging experiences, and great service are key to turning browsers into buyers — and bringing customers back through the doors.
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John Lewis to open more cafés and restaurants to boost footfall
