John Lewis unveils new “one stop destination" concept store

Department store John Lewis has unveiled a newly redesigned concept store layout in Horsham, which moves away from its existing “at home” format to a “one stop destination” for fashion, beauty, tech and home design.

The new design and layout aim to “better reflect the local community it serves,” explains John Lewis in the press release, and offers “shopping by senses” with complementary scent, sound and colour used throughout to inspire customers.

Spanning 47,000 square feet, the Horsham store allows shoppers to discover a curated range of fashion and beauty brands, including Barbour, Levi's, Whistles and Baukjen, alongside Dior, Jo Malone and Bobbi Brown, as well as a range of personalised services including an Elemis beauty treatment room.

The new layout will also trial different concepts to encourage cross-department shopping, such as a new kids' area on the ground floor designed to engage and entertain a younger audience while shopping with adults. The kids' area features an interactive trail, treasure hunt, activity table and our nursery advice service alongside kids' fashion brands including Polarn O Pyret and Pure Baby, as well as John Lewis’ own brand childrenswear collections.

John Lewis trials multi-sensory experiences with newly redesigned Horsham store

John Lewis worked with neuroscience experts to enhance areas of the shop with sensory elements. The company applied a method called “sensory prescription,” working in the same way a doctor would prescribe medicine. They worked with the John Lewis in-house team to look at the store design, prescribing colours, sounds and scents, tailoring them to the specific areas and how the department store wants customers to feel.

One area with a sensory prescription is the ‘sleep’ concept, where customers need to spend at least 10-20 minutes on a mattress they’ve created a relaxed environment with a citrus scent, calming sleep sounds and neutral painted walls.

Jack Howe, branch manager of John Lewis Horsham, said: “We've listened to our local customers in Horsham and we’re thrilled they can now shop and experience a larger John Lewis offering with more departments. Early customer reaction has been incredibly positive, and they love our new look.

“As shoppers return to the high street, our multi-million-pound investment provides a major boost for the town centre and will attract more shoppers into the store.”

The store also offers free services such as personal styling and nursery and sleep appointments and click-and-collect.