Do store-in-stores in de Bijenkorf give adequate space for John Lewis to sell itself to Dutch consumers not used to mixing homewares and fashion?
News that John Lewis is to make its debut on the Continent courtesy of space in Dutch department store de Bijenkorf is interesting if only because this is a retailer that has a distinctly British feel about it.
Yes, there are a lot of department stores in Europe, not least in Germany, which seems to be overrun with the things, but are they the same as the store that is the darling of ‘middle England’ (wherever that may actually be)?
“The notion that a department store should be first and foremost a place for homewares, with fashion playing a secondary role, is broadly alien beyond these shores”
John Ryan
On the face of it, the answer would be no. The overwhelming majority of department stores in Europe seem to be concerned with selling fashion at a variety of prices, whether it’s Peek & Cloppenburg, Karstadt or Galeries Lafayette, among many others.
The notion that a department store should be first and foremost a place for homewares, with fashion, until very recently, playing a secondary role, is broadly alien beyond these shores.
Break with tradition
Therefore, the next question is will it be welcomed in the face of a tradition that sees furniture and homewares retailing being carried out by furniture and homewares retailers and fashion by fashion retailers?
The chances, of course, are that space in de Bijenkorf will be severely limited, with space between 300 sq ft and 500 sq ft in the seven planned stores-in-stores.
On this reckoning, what the Dutch consumer will be confronted with initially will be less department store and rather more like the highly edited offer that greets shoppers heading for the Eurostar terminal in St Pancras.
For those familiar with John Lewis, it has the flavour and sense of that emporium; however, those for whom the name John Lewis rings no bells, will a small space in a host department store be sufficient to convey what makes it such a quintessentially British venture?
Again, the answer would seem to be no and to therefore view the openings as the forerunner to a Continent-wide roll-out would seem to be jumping the gun to a large degree.
A final question – is it necessary for a retailer expanding abroad to open a standalone store or is it better to enjoy the safety and sanctuary of a host prior to making a move of this kind? Until there is a standalone John Lewis outside the UK, there will be no clear answer to this one.
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