What do you get when you mix John Lewis and Heathrow airport?

Travelling in style has always been a preoccupation of the typical fashionista’s mind. However, not only can we now travel in style, but we can also shop in style. John Lewis has announced its plans to open at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 on 4^th June 2014. By investing over £1 million into its own shop at the airport, there is no doubt that this 3,600 sq ft shop-to-be will house the epitome of stylish homeware, fashion, gifting and seasonal ranges.

As the managing director of John Lewis, Andy Street, asserts, “this new opening is a huge and exciting step forward in developing our international strategy, giving us access to one of the most concentrated, valuable and influential markets in the world.” By placing John Lewis in one of the UK’s most popular airports, it is inevitable that the company’s international wholesale will dramatically increase. Currently, John Lewis delivers to 33 countries, which equates to 75% of Heathrow’s Terminal 2 destinations. Thus, it becomes inevitable that its estblishment in an international area will make the business thrive even more.

The new, stylish, modern Terminal 2 is to be named Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal, and is the latest phase of the five-year, £11 billion transformation of the airport itself. Excitingly, John Lewis will be placed on the top floor of the departure lounge, thus sparking the first impression for passengers passing through security, and you know what they say: first impressions last!

In a statement, Muriel Zingraff-Shariff, the retail director of Heathrow, has said: “We’re excited to bring John Lewis to Heathrow and share this much-loved British retail brand with our international audience.  Our passengers love the retail experience at Heathrow and this shows our commitment to delivering stores that will delight them and bring real value to their journey.  It’s just one of the reasons we’ve been voted Europe’s Best Airport at ACI’s 9th annual Airport Awards.”

Terminal 2 will no doubt be spacious, with multi-lingual representatives and staff that make customers’ shopping experience one of pure delight and satisfaction. At this very moment, Heathrow is one of the world’s most successful retail spaces and has an annual net sale of over £1.7 billion, whilst serving passengers from 180 different destinations. So, next time you jet off, don’t just prepare your luggage, prepare your wallets, too!

Sasha Hilton
Photo: Courtesy of John Lewis