RETAIL

Setting great store

From working hard to stay relevant on the high street, to navigating the pandemic, the John Lewis & Partners Cribbs Causeway team are taking on new challenges and reacting to changing consumer demand. Words by Libby Dallin

It was in Broadmead in 1950 that John Lewis & Partners Cribbs Causeway started life, when the world and the customers it served were very different. Despite tough circumstances and changing times, the retail giant still stands today, at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. A team of over 600 Partners work across four floors, selling everything from toys to televisions, and providing home design, fashion and nursery services to help us through life’s biggest moments.

The store is home to experts in all areas, and displays regarded as some of the most beautiful and inspirational in the region. At the helm is branch manager Chris Hooper and, with the support of Partners, the store is on-hand this Christmas to help us create new memories and treasure those we love.

Like the rest of us, the store has had an unusual year. From working hard to stay relevant on the high street, to navigating the pandemic, the team have had to take on new challenges and react to changing consumer demand. For the first time in his career, Chris had to face closing a store, not knowing when Partners could safely return. Weathering the storm was only possible with a strong community committed to the future. Now, having been open again since June, John Lewis & Partners Cribbs Causeway is gearing up for what could be its most important Christmas yet. We sat down with Chris to find out how they are supporting us in celebrating this season. CH: Christmas will be different, but we’ll adapt and try and make sure it’s a great experience with family members. Having a daughter who is working frontline NHS will, no doubt, make it unique and maybe a little fragmented, but we’re prepared for something a little more unusual. This Christmas, more than ever, will be about connecting with the ones we love. It might be easy to think that it will be less magical this year, and may pass us by to some extent. My team and I are determined not to let that happen. We intend to make this Christmas in John Lewis & Partners even more magical than before, despite the limitations, so come in and be inspired. We’ll do everything to make you feel safe and to make the experience an enjoyable one. Even though we are heavily impacted by the current crisis, we hope we might be able to offer some sort of respite from it as well.

Which area of the store is your favourite this time of year, and why?

It’s got to be the gifting assortments and the food and drink. It’s great to have an excuse to buy family and friends fabulous gifts, beautifully packaged. A lot of it isn’t something you’d buy for yourself, but to surprise someone else, that’s a great opportunity. It doesn’t look like we’ll be attending any parties or significant social gatherings this year, so we’ve got even more time to focus on giving our loved ones unique and inspiring gifts, and maybe ones that really reflect their personality. Many people really deserve something special this year, and we’ve got some creative options. We’re particularly pleased to be setting up a hamper station which will help us create beautifully curated gifts.

What Christmas activity can we expect from the store this year?

We love the Christmas period as much as our customers do, so we’ll be stretching every possible idea and opportunity to make those few weeks feel special. We’ve already experienced this with the opening of our Christmas Shop, and the positive reaction as customers are delighted to see something uplifting and magical. The themes this year are inspirational, from pop art to Renaissance and post-impressionism. We’re also proud to host RIVA Gifts this year on the ground floor. A fantastic small business, RIVA Gifts is offering beautifully personalised products from coasters to cushions and everything in between. You can even have your favourite bottle of our gin personalised.

What will shopping in-store be like?

Safety is paramount. Customers will notice the huge effort we have put into safety and a comfortable shopping environment. From hosts on doors and in key parts of our shop, to distancing reminders and sanitisation stations, we think we’ll be well prepared for the demand that naturally comes as Christmas draws closer. We’re even re-laying large parts of our seasonal assortments to allow customers to move more freely and comfortably around them. Our Christmas Shop is the biggest it has ever been.

Any options for those who don’t want to walk around the store?

This year we’ve got more reasons than ever to come in and shop with us but, of course, we understand if you do not wish to visit. As usual, our click-and-collect service is a great option; simply place your order online and come and pick it up, as soon as the next day, from our friendly customer collection team. We’re also offering our new Want It Now* service, which offers the opportunity to call and pay for your chosen product which we will get ready for you to pick up the very same day. This service is great for those forgotten gifts, and for those that want to make Christmas shopping easier. Your wish is our command, and our team of shoppers will scour the shop for your chosen product or perfect gift so you don’t have to, making your shopping as easy as possible. *Terms and conditions apply

Aside from working every Christmas Eve, what’s your favourite Christmas tradition?

At work it’s the traditional Christmas lunch for our hardworking Partners, and the improvised entertainment. Like everything else this needs a rethink this year as we take social distancing behind the scenes as seriously as on the shop floor. At home, even though my daughters are grown up, it’s still the Christmas stockings full of gifts. The tradition remains even if the contents have changed over the years.

This year has been all about saying thank you to those who have helped us in this difficult time. Who’s your hero, and why?

My eldest daughter. She works as deputy ward manager in Lambeth Hospital and, once again, her ward is preparing to support mental health patients who also have a Covid-19 diagnosis. It’s unlikely we’ll see her for quite a while, and will occasionally snatch a brief conversation with her. Having a more detailed understanding of the extraordinary work of frontline nurses in the NHS during the pandemic has only deepened my appreciation. Many of us have seen close at hand, and through personal experience, the inspirational efforts of other care workers who have looked after many of the most vulnerable in society. My own Partners have been outstanding –be it helping in their communities, coming together to produce scrubs for the NHS, or being prepared to move from John Lewis & Partners to work for our sister brand Waitrose & Partners at the height of the pandemic. At one point more than 120 were working across a dozen Waitrose & Partners shops to support the effort to ‘feed the nation’. ■

It might be easy to think that Christmas will be less magical this year, and may pass us by to some extent, but Chris is determined not to let that happen, despite the limitations