Department store John Lewis is to offer holidays and travel solutions in store as it announced its partnership with travel firm Kuoni today.
Launching in four John Lewis stores this Autumn ahead of a further roll-out, the new travel concessions will offer a full range of holidays and will create 19 full-time jobs, with the first opening in the Oxford Street flagship store today.
Ranging from 444 sq ft to 821 sq ft, the new concept concessions will be situated in the customer service area and will include iPads and plasma screens as part of John Lewis‘ omnichannel strategy.
Customers will be offered John Lewis Travel Insurance and Kuoni will become the travel partner for John Lewis Gift List, allowing shoppers to ask guests to contribute to their Kuoni-booked honeymoon.
Kuoni‘s Managing Director Derek Jones commented: “Kuoni and John Lewis have a lot in common; we have a very similar customer base and share the same approach to business, putting customer service at the heart of everything we do.
“We know that our customers really value the expert personal knowledge we provide and the success of our High Street stores has shown that the best way to truly understand their needs is to spend time with them, face to face in the right surroundings.
“These concessions will allow us to bring our unique approach to travel retailing into John Lewis shops.”
Following today‘s flagship opening, additional concessions are set to open in Reading and Cardiff, while Southampton opened a concession a fortnight ago.
Sean Allam, Director of Commercial Pperations at John Lewis, said: “We already have a strong customer base in our travel insurance services, so opening travel concessions in our shops feels like a natural step for John Lewis.
“Kuoni‘s commitment to customer service and expert advice was a perfect fit for John Lewis, and we believe this will be a long-term and successful partnership.”
