Member Article

John Lewis partner with travel firm

John Lewis has announced a partnership with travel company Kuoni, which will see four concessions open across the retailer’s shops.

Kuoni concessions will open in the autumn at John Lewis shops in Oxford Street, Reading, Southampton and Cardiff, offering a full range of holidays available from Kuoni shops.

The concessions will range from 444 sq ft to 821 sq ft, and will combine the look and feel of the two brands, creating 19 full time posts in the process.

Situated in the customer service area, adjacent to John Lewis’s Gift List departments, interactive technology such as iPads and plasma screens will be used to bring holidays to life.

Kuoni will become the travel partner for John Lewis Gift List, a service which allows customers to ask their guests to contribute to their Kuoni honeymoon.

Rob Martin, new business manager at John Lewis, said: “We already have a strong customer base in our travel insurance services, so opening travel concessions in our shops feels like a natural step for John Lewis.

“People will be able to take time out from speaking to a personal travel expert to shop or have a coffee, and choose their holiday in a relaxed and inspiring environment.

“Kuoni’s commitment to customer service and expert advice was a perfect fit for John Lewis, and we believe this will be a long-term and successful partnership.

“Our customers want the personal knowledge and expertise of speaking to someone who can help them get exactly what they want from their holiday.”

Derek Jones, managing director at Kuoni said: “We are really excited about this partnership. Kuoni and John Lewis have a lot in common; we have a very similar customer base and share the same approach to business, putting customer service at the heart of everything we do.

“We know that our customers really value the expert personal knowledge we provide and the success of our High Street stores has shown that the best way to truly understand their needs is to spend time with them, face to face in the right surroundings.

“These concessions will allow us to bring our unique approach to travel retailing into John Lewis shops.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .