John Lewis store in High Wycombe to reopen on Thursday 18th June 2020
The John Lewis Partnership have announced the reopening of their High Wycombe store on Thursday 18th June 2020.
On Sunday 23rd March 2020, John Lewis temporarily closed its 50 department stores throughout the UK for the first time in its 155 year history. The retailer has however continued to operate online through the johnlewis.com website.
From Monday 15th June 2020 John Lewis has announced it will start to reopen its shops for customers as part of a gradual approach starting with its Poole and Kingston department stores.
On Thursday 18th June 2020 eleven other John Lewis stores will re-open. The branches opening on Thursday 18th June 2020 are:
- Bluewater
- Cambridge
- Cheadle
- Cheltenham
- High Wycombe
- Horsham
- Ipswich
- Norwich
- Nottingham
- Solihull
- Welwyn
Each shop will undertake a four week preparation programme before opening. This will include counting stock, replenishment, preparation of systems, merchandising, deep cleaning, the introduction of social distancing measures, Partner training and final pre-opening checks.
Measures will be introduced into the John Lewis shops, these include:
- The introduction of a ‘Customer Service Host’ assigned to welcome customers into the store and answer any questions while managing customer numbers, queues both at entrances and busy areas of the shop and explain to customers what changes they might see in store.
- Reducing the number of shop entrances.
- Caps on the number of customers entering stores.
- Prominent social distancing signage.
- Protective screens at checkouts and areas of the shop where 2 metre social distancing cannot be achieved between customers and Partners.
- Control procedures for escalators and lifts limiting the number of users.
- Rigorous and frequent cleaning.
- Provision of hand sanitiser for customers to use at all entrances.
- Social distancing in back of house areas.
- New contactless payment limit of £45.
- Limiting the number of additional customer services, for example close contact beauty services will not be offered and customer catering outlets and fitting rooms will remain closed until further notice.
- A safe and simple returns process, returned stock will be separated from new or old stock for 72 hours.
*Source of article : Press release from the John Lewis Partnership.
