John Lewis revamps hospitality offering as part of £800m transformation

John Lewis is revamping its hospitality offering across 32 locations, replacing its current ‘The Place To Eat’ branded cafés and restaurants with its own-brand concept ‘Platter John Lewis’ as part of a £800 million multi-year investment in its brand, stores and customer experience.

The first three cafés and restaurants to be refurbished will be in the John Lewis Oxford Street, Reading and Chichester branches. Oxford Street is receiving the most extensive refurbishment, lasting 13 weeks, with the new flagship restaurant reopening in August.

John Lewis has partnered with hospitality specialist Benugo to lead the transformation and operation of the new restaurants, with all refurbishments planned to be completed by the end of 2027.

The new Platter John Lewis concept will sit alongside the retailer’s wider hospitality offer, which includes Benugo, Ori cafés, Huffkins tea rooms, Jamie Oliver Cafe and Kamakura at Oxford Street.

Over the past year, John Lewis has seen 10% growth in sales across its 62 cafés and restaurants locations, with hospitality now accounting for more than 20% of the retailer’s in-store transactions. As customers spend more time enjoying food and drink as part of a day out shopping, the retailer's hospitality offering has become an increasingly important part of the in-store experience.

Katie Papakonstantinou, Director of Services & Hospitality for John Lewis, said: "Customers are spending more time in our shops, and food and drink is an increasingly important part of that experience. Platter John Lewis will give customers a more modern, welcoming place to pause, meet and enjoy something delicious while they shop.

"This is an exciting investment in our hospitality offer and an important part of how we’re making John Lewis shops even better places to visit. We’re pleased to get the first refurbishments underway and look forward to opening our flagship at Oxford Street this summer."

Ahead of the festive period last year, John Lewis already started to strengthen its hospitality experiences across its retail network, adding a Warabi-Mochi Kamakura café to its Oxford Street store and a 250 sq ft seasonal Champagne Bar to its Peter Jones, Sloane Square location.

The investment in its hospitality offering is part of John Lewis recent activities, including the expansion of its My John Lewis loyalty programme and an investment in its beauty category, responding to rising consumer demand.

The retailer has also been investing in AI-powered shopping, as it aims to integrate its products into emerging AI discovery platforms.