John Lewis to restructure in store operations

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John Lewis to restructure in store operations
John Lewis

Department store group John Lewis has proposed significant changes to its in-store operations as it seeks to increase the time that staff spend with shoppers, reported Retail Week.The changes are likely to lead to the loss of 153 roles – about 1% of the workforce.John Lewis proposes:

  • to adapt partner hours “to make sure we’re focused on meeting the needs of customers”.
  • to end the present distinction between front and back of store roles, giving more flexibility so more staff are on the shop floor at busy times.
  • “greater focus on pre-trade activity and making sure that product availability is as high as possible”
  • simpler stock and replenishment processes.
  • £5m investment in digital headsets, improving communication in stores, to reduce waiting time for shoppers and cut the time employees spend hunting each other down.
  • to introduce mobile payment to 5,000 partner devices, allowing customers to be served on the shop floor rather than at a till
  • to install dedicated call points in shops, such as in fitting rooms and collection areas, allowing customers to more easily ask for help.
  • to invest £1m in mobile printers so that missing shelf-edge labels – the replacement of which is currently a labour-intensive process – can be addressed quickly.

The changes follow successful trials and in John Lewis and Waitrose. Waitrose has risen 67 places in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, and there are now 17,400 more partner hours on Saturdays and Sundays when the shops are most busy.A John Lewis spokesperson said: “While we’re proud of the customer service we currently offer, we know there are opportunities to be even better… We know our customers love our brand. Our mission now is to go further and faster in what we do to delight them every time they shop with us, to become more productive in how we work, and deliver profitable growth.”Source: Retail Week

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