London Shopping London Department Stores John LewisJohn Lewis
John Lewis is perhaps not as internationally renowned as Selfridges and Harrods, but is rightly regarded as "the" top-tier department store in the UK. Uniquely run
by the John Lewis Partnership (which legal students will tell you) is the only business in the UK where all employees are partners of the company (sharing the profits), this store has been in operation since 1920. It is the 3rd largest privately owned company in the UK.
There is a tendency when visiting London to miss out John Lewis, but most Londoners have it on their itinerary. Time Out have it listed as the store most Londoners couldn't live without. In a nutshell it sells original and stylish stock, especially home furnishings. Much as everyone loves Ikea, there is a tendency to visit friends' houses and point out their Ikea items ("we've got that lamp in little Bobby's room..." etc.) This is much less likely to happen in John Lewis.
Good for home, kitchen, clothing and especially gifts, wander a bit further up Oxford Street from Selfridges and visit another British institution. Don't look down when riding the escalators if you suffer from vertigo. It's an impressive drop.
The upshot of John Lewis' unique business model is that employees have a high level of job satisfaction and tend to stay long-term, meaning you may struggle to find more informed or helpful staff anywhere. This capability extends to the product range, which is always stylish, unique and priced fairly.
Check the map carefully, there's something odd about the postcode they're using (maybe a legacy from another branch), but it consistently places the store a long way from where it actually is. Below is the correct location.
John Lewis, Oxford Street, W1A 1EX.
Oxford Circus or Bond Street Tube.
Call: 020 7629 7711
-0.142061
