John Lewis knocked off top spot for best high street store

Department store John Lewis has dropped down to joint third in a ranking of the best high street shops by consumer research group Which?.

The annual survey asked more than 10,000 consumers about their shopping experiences at 100 major retailers, with the customer scoring based on satisfaction and the likelihood of recommending each shop.

DIY store Toolstation is joint-top for the second year running, having shared first place with John Lewis in 2016, while Richer Sounds is in the number one spot after coming joint-third last year.

John Lewis, however, had to settle for joint third alongside luxury department store Harvey Nichols in the ranking for best high street store. Harvey Nichols was also the biggest riser in the ranking, as last year the retailer was joint 21st out of 100, with customers citing a love of its products as well as the stores themselves.

Other fashion retailers who made the top 30 included outdoor clothing chains Cotswold Outdoor, Go Outdoors, footwear store Clarks, department store Fenwick, maternity and baby retailer Jojo Maman Bébé, Laura Ashley, Bonmarché and Selfridges.

There were, however, a number of fashion brands gracing the bottom as the worst high street shops including Peacocks, Topshop and Topman, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, JD Sports and Sports Direct. While the lowest ranked of the 100 retailers covered in the Which? survey was Morrisons, the supermarket could only manage a 55 percent score, compared to the number 1 shop that received 80 percent.