Conception and Construction

Conquering the Northwest

In 2010, Chester was the fifth town to be confirmed as host of a John Lewis At Home store, and was the first to be built in the Northwest, as part of the division’s £30 million investment in the area. With many of the Partnership’s competitors already in the vicinity, and high demand for John Lewis Products in an untapped market, the Northwest was a natural choice for the next At Home project. Building of the shop began in early 2011. By August, most the shop was nearly complete. The Gazette of 19th August 2011 gave readers a sneak preview of the new shop. The special event put on for local media also gave Branch Manager Mark Blundell his first glimpse of his new store.

Expanding the concept

Over two floors the store would focus on furniture, home-wares, furnishing accessories, and electrical and home technologies. There was also going to be a 72-seater cafe, and a click and collect service. The number of services in-store far outnumbered those found in original At Home stores, such as in Poole. This highlighted just how successful the concept was becoming.