The last five years have been a difficult period for John Lewis. Under the chairmanship of Dame Sharon White, the partnership had to face the challenges of Brexit, Covid and a cost of living crisis. During White's mandate as president, she took the company with a loss before tax of 517 million pounds sterling ($ 688 million) ending me January 2021 at a profit before tax of 126 million pounds Sterling (168 million dollars) before resigning in February 2025. And with a new leadership team in place, the return of “ basement 'and new confidence, the company is again in place.
A cornerstone of this recovery is an absolute commitment to customer service. This forms one of the four key motors in the growth of the refresh plan.
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John Lewis partnership rank on fortune 500 Europe
Once the reserve of the rich and the famous, thanks to John Lewis, having your own stylist is now accessible to everyone.
It started as an informal conversation with one of the partners earlier this year; I deplore the fact that I felt that my style of dress had become sadly predictable; The main thing was that I really needed a youthful treatment.
With this, the idea was born: how would I like a personal style session, gracked partnership? More of this later.
Personal style is not the only service of this type offered; The department of household items and the furniture offers similar services, as is the department of nurseries. All proved to be very popular.
Katie Papakonstantinou, Director of Services and Hospitality at John Lewis, said: “Personal style is one of the many services and experiences that we offer in stores, helping us to offer customers the best possible shopping experience. It is extremely popular, our team helping more than 2,000 customers a week to find the perfect outfit.
She continued: “Whether it is a reserved meeting or a quick impromptu cat in our style studios, our team is always on site to offer expert, friendly and impartial advice to help customers find the right styles, shapes and products to meet their needs.”
“Personal style is one of the many services and experiences that we offer in stores, helping us to offer customers the best possible shopping experience …”
Katie Papakonstantinou
And the success of the service can be judged by the fact that it has contributed to a six -point increase in the net promoter's net score.
And what about my experience?
When they arrived in their Oxford Street men's clothing department, the Mark Lewis (no relationship), always at perception, welcomed me with a radiant smile. I was wondering why I let myself be in; However, I shouldn't have worried.
Mark styled hundreds of people, including Ed Miliband, Dermot O'Leary and the CEO of John Lewis Nish Kankiwala, so I was in safe hands.
My curiosity was stung when he led me to The Speak Easy, an harmless appearance display that hid a surprise.
And the success of the service can be judged by the fact that it has contributed to a six -point increase in the net promoter's net score.
By opening the door, a large hidden dressing room was revealed. Before the appointment, I was asked a certain number of questions about my size, my preferences and what type of outfit I was looking for, so fully briefing Mark, who had already chosen many outfits for me.
And this is where the service differs considerably from an organized online experience. It was the creation of a new look, using new (for me) fabrics, styles, adjustments and colors. It was a multisensory experience where I needed to feel and touch the fabric, try and experience, something in line could never reproduce.
The appointments are normally two hours, and the time has proven when Mark was moving transparently jackets through the pants through the shirts, the mixture and the correspondence while we were going until the dressing room was flooded with outfits of different sizes and colors. He constantly surveyed and gently gave me out of my comfort zone, suggesting different styles without scareing me with something too scandalous. The result was that I was trying unknown marks, which I doubt that I would have considered.
Mark Lewis (L) and Andrew Busby (R):
At the end of the meeting, the great revelation! We arrived at my new look, ready for his first outing on stage the following week at a retail conference. And I must say that I was and I am really delighted.
As an experience, it was unparalleled, and I can't talk enough about Mark. You are really made to feel like a VIP. And of course, unlike online, there is no staging (buy only for publications on social networks then back) or hook, because it was done in real time, where unwanted clothes were returned directly to the workshop, thus eliminating yields as we know them.
The service is free and you don't have to buy anything, although I suspect that most people do.
This story was initially presented on Fortune.com
