John Lewis has turned to Carpetright parent Nestware to run its fitted flooring departments.
The group’s The Floor Room brand will operate the flooring departments in the 34 John Lewis stores that sell flooring and online.
‘Customers will benefit from a quicker, more convenient service. They’ll also be able to shop from a high-quality, larger range with new brands, across The Floor Room’s full range of engineered wood, laminate, LVT, wool and man-made fibre carpets. The move will also bring in-store investment, with The Floor Room installing innovative and visual new showrooms, to offer customers even greater inspiration. New dedicated consultation areas will create a destination for aspirational interior design and encourage shoppers to make flooring central to their interior schemes,’ says the company.
It is also promising quicker appointments and fitting for shoppers, with online consultations offered the same day, while in-store and at home appointments can be offered from one or two days respectively.
In addition to quick consultations, fitting lead times will be reduced, with hardwood flooring and carpets installed within three to four weeks from the consultation.
Branches will feature digital displays, including handheld devices, with integrated technology with the aim of offering customers a paperless service, while some concessions will feature The Floor Room’s sample vending machines.
‘We’re in a unique position when it comes to home design; we’re a trusted destination for inspiration for our customers – and nobody else offers what we can, all under one roof. But flooring has evolved – it’s become more technical with even more choice. Partnering with The Floor Room helps us supercharge our offer, creating a business that not only inspires customers today, but is set up to thrive in years to come. It’s a big leap forward for us, with customers front-and-centre of our decision. As well as unlocking investment in our stores, the move will provide an even quicker and more convenient customer experience, alongside even greater choice,’ says Richard Ambler, John Lewis director for home services.
Helen Marsh, Carpetright former head of communications headed a team that spent 16 months creating the The Floor Room concept, which opened its only store on Tottenham Court Road, London in May 2021.
‘We are putting the customer at the heart of our story. We offer a physical and digital space to encourage creativity and turn their ideas into a reality. We are excited to be working with many brands and suppliers to bring new and inspirational flooring choices to the John Lewis customer,’ says Jeanette Hopkins, The Floor Room general manager.
The concessions will begin to open in October with the roll-out due to be completed by December. The Floor Room will assume responsibility for online orders from mid-October.
‘We are pleased that over half of the partners [John Lewis staff] who will move across to The Floor Room under TUPE will move straight into equivalent roles. While it is too early to confirm details, due to some differences in some office-based locations and organisational structure, The Floor Room is proposing to make some redundancies. The change means that unfortunately 125 partners are proposed at risk of redundancy on transfer to The Floor Room, and 12 are proposed directly via John Lewis. However, this will be subject to consultation with the impacted teams. We continue to work hard to make sure partners are supported during this process,’ says John Lewis.
