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John Lewis has officially opened the flagship Jamie Oliver Cookery School and Jamie Oliver Cafe to customers at its Oxford Street store today (9 May).
Spanning over 4,600 sq ft on the third floor of the store, the space includes two Cookery School classrooms and a 50-seat Jamie Oliver Cafe.
The opening is in response to the growing demand from customers to combine shopping with eating and drinking, with John Lewis having seen its hospitality sales rise 6% over the last 12 months.
According to the group’s data, one in five transactions made in a John Lewis shop is now made in a cafe or restaurant, making it a key element of the retailer’s in-store strategy.
As a result, five more cafe and restaurant openings are planned to take place this year, which will take the total space given to hospitality up by 11,000 sq ft by the end of the year and the total number of eating spaces in John Lewis shops to 62.
Katie Papakonstantinou, director of services and hospitality at John Lewis, said: “Opening the Jamie Oliver Cookery School and Cafe is a fantastic addition to our Oxford Street store.
“Whether it’s a chance to ponder a purchase, or an escape from the bustle of the shop floor, having a varied and exciting assortment of hospitality offerings within our stores is vital for our customer experience. It’s why we are continuing to invest in new offerings, and why by the end of the year we plan to have over 60 dedicated hospitality spaces across our 36 stores.”
Ed Loftus, group restaurant director at the Jamie Oliver Group, added: “We are delighted to partner with John Lewis to bring our unique Cookery School to life in the flagship Oxford Street store. This is the next step in growing the footprint of the Jamie Oliver Cookery School across the UK and internationally.
“Our Cookery School in Jamie Oliver HQ in North London has seen incredible growth since it first opened and even more importantly, we continue to receive incredible positive feedback from our customers. To see our sentiment scores continually high brings me total joy.”
