Conception and construction

Children from the Parish Church Junior School Croydon bury a time capsule at the site of JL Croydon

Perfect patch becomes available

On Tuesday 9th February 2010, the Partnership announced its intentions to open up its second smaller format shop in Croydon, South West London. The success of the first At Home shop at Poole encouraged the Partnership to look for suitable locations for follow-up shops; 30 to 50 locations had been identified by early 2010. When an empty unit became available in Croydon, with the added bonus of meeting the new format criteria, it was quickly snapped up by the Partnership.

An artist’s impression of the exterior of John Lewis At Home Croydon

The £7.5 million shop would focus on the home sector, but would have the addition of computer terminals on the shop-floor, allowing customers to browse and purchase from the full John Lewis range. The shop would also house a cafe, and would create over 220 jobs.

Fitting out in a flurry

By the beginning of August 2010, the contractors were ready to hand the building over to the John Lewis Occupation team, ready for fitting out. £3 million of stock was set to be delivered to the store in four days, as part of the streamlined stocking-up process needed to get the shop opened by its target, the 26th August 2010. During these final days before opening, local schoolchildren were offered the chance to bury a time capsule at the site. This was their chance to make history!