John Lewis is to host Topshop in 32 of its 36 stores from February as the clothing brand’s only national stockist on UK high streets, in a drive to attract younger shoppers and their mums.
Peter Ruis, the managing director of the staff-owned department store chain, said Topshop – and Topman, which is to go into six outlets – would “really exemplify the new John Lewis”, as it tries to broaden its appeal with more fashion, home and beauty brands, ranging from Fenty to the Conran Shop.
He said Topshop was “a brand that is going to resonate with our Gen Zs [those in their late teens and early 20s] and our Gen Xers and everyone in between”.
Ruis said Generation X – those in their 40s and 50s – were more interested in fashion than their parents and “grew up with Topshop” and now had the money to buy it, while the younger generations were interested in 90s revival fashion.
“I think the best fashion brands are multigenerational. I think that’s always been the case,” he said, suggesting Topshop would “bring more of that family day out” to the retailer. Ruis said younger customers were already shopping in its beauty halls alongside their parents and buying brands such as Mango but this would bring a new attraction.
He said Topshop would have a specially created area in stores staffed by handpicked John Lewis staff and was “going to have a lot of energy”.
Michelle Wilson, the managing director of Topshop, said John Lewis had picked a selection of 120 items suitable for its shoppers, including denim, footwear and faux leather jackets, with the most expensive item a £250 suede jacket.
She said shoppers “absolutely want to see us back in stores” and wanted to “touch and feel and try on product”, with John Lewis being “a name trusted by millions”.
Ruis said John Lewis, which is due to reveal its half-year results next week, was not ditching its mainstream customers.
“We are not just a typical luxury fashion and beauty department store. We’re one that sells you everything in your life,” he said, pointing to the chain’s very large market share in sales of cots and gear for babies. He said this broad appeal positioned it well to outlive the difficulties that led to the rivals Debenhams and Beales disappearing from high streets and House of Fraser significantly contracting.
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He said the retailer was “super positive” about trading in this year’s key Christmas period as its customer surveys indicated consumers were “more optimistic than they’ve been for a very long time”, partly thanks to mortgage rate decreases. “We’re seeing big-ticket items come back with a vengeance,” he added, referring to strong sales of sofas and mattresses in particular.
Last year’s return of the group’s now 100-year-old price promise Never Knowingly Undersold had gone better than expected, Ruis said, helping to pull in shoppers searching for goods online.