John Lewis is to open a VIP space at its flagship London department store as part of a drive to lure customers back, after years in which it has lost ground to rivals including Marks & Spencer.
The retailer is to unveil the John Lewis Lounge at its Oxford Street store on Tuesday, with access for members of its loyalty card scheme, weeks after the retailer reported that its losses nearly tripled to £88m in the first half of this year.
In the new area, which the company said will be trialled until Christmas, customers will be served with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine or hot drink as well as hand and arm massages and Waitrose chocolates.
Rosie Hanley, brand director at John Lewis, said: “This trial is a perfect example of our wider strategy investing in our stores to offer unique, service-led experiences that our customers can’t get anywhere else. [This is] about rewarding loyalty with a premium experience.”
Customers who are signed up to the retailer’s My John Lewis scheme will be able to book slots in advance, or walk in if there is space. Members will be able to bring two guests with them, and the VIP space will be able to accommodate up to 30 customers an hour.
The initiative, first reported by the Sunday Telegraph, comes as John Lewis looks to invest in its stores in an attempt to attract customers to its high street stores. The company has been contacted for comment.
The group said it expected the “macroeconomic environment to remain challenging”, but would step up investment so that it was “positioned to deliver full-year profit growth”.
John Lewis Partnership, the parent company of John Lewis and Waitrose, is spending about £800m on refurbishing its department stores and recruiting more floor staff to improve the experience for shoppers.
The retailer traditionally makes all its profit in the second half of the year and expects this year to be the same. Its traditional Christmas advert is typically unveiled in the first half of November.
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The opening of the new VIP space also follows a successful drive to get more customers to sign up to its My John Lewis loyalty scheme, which has increased its members by 13% over the last year, and now has 3.8 million.
The company also operates a My Waitrose loyalty scheme and plans to launch a joint loyalty card valid across John Lewis and Waitrose in the future.
