John Lewis to open VIP lounge at Oxford Street store with free drinks and massages
John Lewis is to open a VIP space at its Oxford Street store in London as part of a drive to lure customers back, after years in which it has lost ground to rivals including Marks & Spencer,The retailer is to unveil the John Lewis Lounge on Tuesday, with access for members of its loyalty card scheme, weeks after reporting group losses had nearly tripled to £88m in the first half of this year,In the area, which the company said would be trialled until Christmas, customers will be served a complimentary glass of sparkling wine or hot drink as well as given hand and arm massages, Waitrose chocolates, and nibbles from the cafe chain Benugo,The company describes the area as “VIP retreat or third space”, a “haven where members can rest and recharge … a moment of serenity”,Rosie Hanley, the brand director at John Lewis, said: “Our new John Lewis Lounge is about rewarding loyalty with a premium experience.
This trial is a perfect example of our wider strategy investing in our stores to offer unique, service-led experiences that our customers can’t get anywhere else.”Customers who are signed up to the retailer’s My John Lewis scheme will be able to book slots in advance, or walk in if there is space.Members will be able to bring two guests with them, and the VIP space will be able to accommodate up to 30 customers an hour.The initiative, which was first reported by the Sunday Telegraph, comes as John Lewis looks to invest in its stores in an attempt to attract customers to its high street stores.The group said in September, when it reported the losses, that it expected the “macroeconomic environment to remain challenging” but would step up investment so that it was “positioned to deliver full-year profit growth”.
John Lewis Partnership, the parent company of John Lewis and Waitrose, is spending about £800m on refurbishing its department stores and recruiting more floor staff to improve the experience for shoppers.The retailer traditionally makes all its profit in the second half of the year and expects this year to be the same.Its traditional Christmas advert is typically unveiled in the first half of November.Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionThe opening of the VIP space follows a successful drive to get more customers to sign up to the My John Lewis loyalty scheme, membership of which has increased by 13% over the past year to 3.8 million people.
The company also operates a My Waitrose loyalty scheme,It plans to launch a joint loyalty card, valid across John Lewis and Waitrose, in the future,
Jaguar Land Rover restart helps UK factories return to growth
UK factories staged a recovery in October after the reopening of Jaguar Land Rover operations and a pick-up in consumer spending, according to a closely watched survey of the manufacturing sector.The S&P Global purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to a one-year high as business optimism improved and factory output expanded.Jaguar Land Rover, Britain’s biggest carmaker, supported the recovery after it began reopening facilities hit by a cyber-attack that some experts estimated cost the UK economy about £1.9bn.Manufacturers were able to shake off some of the uncertainty from Donald Trump’s tariffs
UK factories return to growth with JLR restarting operations after cyber-attack – business live
UK manufacturing output has expanded for the first time in a year, helped by the restart of production at Jaguar Land Rover following its recent cyberhack.The latest poll of purchasing managers at UK factories, just released by S&P Global, shows that manufacturing output rose for the first time in a year in October.S&P Global reports that production volumes rose in the consumer and intermediate goods industries, partly due to a boost from the staged restarting of production at JLR last month.This helped to lift the wider UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index to a 12-month high of 49.7 in October, up from 46
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The NRL is assessing whether there was a failure in the application of rugby league’s concussion protocols after Tonga star Eli Katoa underwent emergency surgery prompted by seizures and bleeding on the brain following three sickening head impacts on Sunday.Katoa was allowed to take the field after what appeared to be a concussion in the warm-up. He suffered another head injury in the first half of the Pacific Championships clash against New Zealand, but was allowed to continue the match.A third blow in the second half finally saw him leave the field when his side trailed by 22 points, but his condition deteriorated and he suffered seizures on the sideline. A medicab rushed him from the field and he underwent surgery on Sunday evening
From burnout to brilliance: Amanda Anisimova on how honesty sparked her remarkable revival
The American stepped away from the tour in 2023 to address her mental health. This year has been spectacular as she has reached two grand slam finalsThere is an air of calm surrounding Amanda Anisimova when she speaks; a palpable sense of her comfort in her own skin.In a sport like tennis that can swing its protagonists from one emotional extreme to another, week in, week out, Anisimova has worked hard to value the highs, the lows, and the moments in between, all while staying true to herself.A former teen prodigy who turned pro at 15 and reached the French Open semi-finals at just 17, Anisimova stepped away from the professional circuit for eight months in 2023, citing burnout and mental health concerns.It was a bold decision, given how athletes are always encouraged to push through their struggles and stick to the grind; a decision that has ultimately paid off in more ways than one
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