DIYWEEK.net

John Lewis at Home and Waitrose have launched their first joint venture - just two months after Dobbies and Tesco got the go-ahead to trial a similar initiative.
Over 150 customers queued from 8.30am in Ipswich yesterday, November 8, for the opening of John Lewis Partnership's pioneering dual offer.

The adjacent John Lewis at Home and Waitrose stores, which share an entrance and a customer cafe, will allow shoppers convenient access to product ranges in both the department store and the supermarket, and represent a £12m investment.

The John Lewis at Home is the first to open in Suffolk, an area that has been long sought after by the business.

John Lewis at Home Ipswich features 43,000sq ft of selling space over two floors, and computer terminals allow shoppers to browse the wider John Lewis assortment for home delivery or next-day collection at the shop.

The 27,000sq ft Waitrose offers shopping from home via the Waitrose website and customers can also shop in-store themselves, with the store delivering the items to their door. Together, the stores have created 375 new jobs locally.

Property & development director at Waitrose Nigel Keen commented: "In what is a challenging economic climate, it's great to see the investment that's being made in the town, and we're looking forward to seeing the reaction of shoppers to our stores being alongside each other in this way for the first time."

Meanwhile, Dobbies and Tesco are due to open their first joint venture in King's Lynn next autumn. The £8m development will see the two businesses trade from the same building and, mirroring the JLP set-up, share an entrance and restaurant.

The two chains are also hoping to come together in Inverness. Planning permission is being sought for a £5m scheme whereby Dobbies would take on a former Focus DIY unit and combine an entranceway with an existing Tesco store at Inshes retail park.