John Lewis has confirmed that it hopes to open its first pop-up store.

The department store retailer wants to set up the outlet in Exeter, ahead of the autumn launch in the city of its first flexible-format store.

The company is so far remaining tight-lipped about details of the pop-up store, but confirmed to diyweek.net: "We've put in planning permission for it." More information is expected to be released next week.

A short-tenure pop-up store would allow John Lewis to test the water and market its brand in Exeter before it opens its department store on October 12. The 65,000sq ft shop will mark the launch of what the retailer hopes will be a chain of new-format stores that will allow it to increase significantly its department stores' presence in the UK.

John Lewis' regular department stores have a selling space of around 132,000sq ft, and the At Home shops around 40,000sq ft. The new flexible-format shops, ranging in size between 65,000 and 100,000sq ft, will sit between these and will allow the business to open in locations that have been considered unsuitable for a large traditional John Lewis branch.

The retailer says it has identified at least 10 locations across the UK that could support these bespoke department stores.

The Exeter trailblazer will offer a full John Lewis assortment including home, fashion, nursery, consumer electronics and beauty and will be the retailer's first shop to open in Devon.

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