John Lewis

London Department Store

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By Laura Porter, About.com Guide

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John Lewis is included in the list of London Department Stores.

About John Lewis

John Lewis opened his first store on Oxford Street in 1864 selling haberdashery before expanding to the current building in 1895. The larger store meant a wider range of goods and so started the John Lewis department store.

John Lewis is known for its keen pricing ("never knowingly undersold" is its price guarantee) and they stock nearly half a million products from perfume to luggage, and toys to TVs. The Oxford Street store was refurbished in 2001 and it just feels really nice to shop here so it's usually my first choice on Oxford Street. A basement food hall was added in 2007.

There are seven floors of fashion, home goods, technology and more, and staff are considered partners as this is an employee-owned UK Partnership. This certainly gives staff more incentive to ensure the store does well and I've always found staff here to be well-trained and go just that bit further to try and help than in other stores.

It's been said that John Lewis appeals to middle and upper class shoppers but I can assure you everyone is welcome and there is nothing snooty about this department store. I started shopping here when I was a teenager as the prices were great and the shopping environment was always better. I've continued to shop here for over twenty years and have simply expanded the departments I visit as the years have gone by. For me, this will always be my preferred place to shop on Oxford Street.

Peter Jones on Sloane Square, Chelsea, is part of the same group.