Construction

The foundations of a successful Olympics

Work started on the project in December 2007, with the marking out of the new John Lewis and Waitrose shops. July 2009 was a huge milestone for the project, as ‘John Lewis Stratford City’ was ‘topped out’. The ceremony was held on the roof of the new department store, and was attended by the Mayor of London. The new department store not only fulfilled the Partnership’s desire to expand the brand across London, but also laid the foundations of a successful Olympic Games. The store would act as a focal point for surrounding communities, a physical embodiment of what could be achieved and what would be achieved by the Games.

Europe’s biggest building site takes shape

Building progressed at a rate of knots. By June 2010, the department store was well and truly rising out of Europe’s biggest building site. It was by this point entirely obvious just what a role the department store would play in the coming years. Not only would the store be at the very centre of the Games, helping to represent the best of ‘British’ to a global audience in culmination of retail and sport, but it would also be an imperative part of the ‘legacy’ that would come afterwards. It was an overall opportunity to put East London and John Lewis in the international limelight for 2012 and the years following.