Forever Edinburgh: John Lewis set to reopen after multi-million pound refurbishment with brand new experiences and services

One of Edinburgh’s most iconic stores is reopening to welcome customers once again on Friday, May 14 following a multi-million pound refurbishment.

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John Lewis & Partners, located within the new St James Quarter was stripped back to a shell inside and has benefited from the significant investment which now boasts inspiring spaces to showcase new products, experiences and services.

The shop will pay tribute to the city of Edinburgh with features such as two life-size model stags, an Edinburgh Gin pop up shop, an interactive Hornby Flying Scotsman model in the toys department and their very own Greyfriars Bobby statue.

The shop pay tribute to the city of Edinburgh with features such as two life-size model stags, an Edinburgh Gin pop up shop, an interactive Hornby Flying Scotsman model and Greyfriars Bobby statue.

Carefully considered designs throughout the store also nod to iconic Edinburgh locations such as florals scattered across the ceilings, inspired by the Botanics, and displays inspired by the Forth Rail Bridge.

Having undergone a complete facelift inside, from the floors to the ceilings the new store is welcoming customers back to what feels like a brand new, modern, department store which is sure to feel right at home in St James Quarter.

The extensive refurbishment sees the store now offering a beauty studio, bespoke personal styling services, their largest ever and impressive ‘World of Design’ to provide home design inspiration and advice, a refreshed nursery department offering ‘All Things Baby’ nursery appointments to provide parents-to-be and new parents with guidance and support as well as a new large electricals department, which will make shopping for fridges, cookers and washing machines a seamless and sensory experience.

To deliver a fun day out shopping for all the family, the newly designed shop will feature interactive and colourful play areas so friends and family alike can relax and enjoy themselves.

Both the womenswear and menswear sections have expanded as part of the makeover

Barry Blamire, head of branch for John Lewis Edinburgh, said: “We are so excited to be opening once again and welcoming customers into our refurbished shop. The past year has shown just how much our customers rely on our Partners for that much needed advice and guidance. This new shop provides an inspirational physical space to come and browse everything and anything from homeware to fashion, nursery to technology.

“The new look store has been designed as a hub of inspiration, curation, convenience and personal advice. We invite customers to come and visit our biggest ever World of Design for home styling, speak to an expert Beauty advisor at our first ever Scottish Beauty Studio, or to get advice in our redesigned Nursery department. We also want to welcome families and there are lots of fantastic design elements and fun spaces for children to explore safely while their parents browse.”

Some of the services and features of the newly designed shop include the biggest ever World of Design hub, composed of a grand studio space, almost 3,000 square feet, where home stylists will offer free drop-in appointments to help customers design an instant home makeover.

There will be inspiring room sets so customers can visualise how the latest furniture can be styled with lamps, rugs, bookshelves to create a stylish new room. Customers can also create a bespoke magnetic moodboard with samples of carpets, wallpaper and fabric, to make it easier to remodel their home.

Brand new services include personal shopping experiences and a Beauty Studio

The Edinburgh shop will house the brand new Beauty Society - a free, concierge-style service where customers are able to seek trusted and impartial advice from John Lewis beauty experts across our full offering of powerhouse brands to smaller, emerging labels.

Also opening are two beauty treatment rooms where luxury aesthetics clinic, the Cavendish Clinic, will offer bespoke treatments such as laser hair removal and cellulite treatments as well as retailing medical grade skin care such as Dr Levy, SkinCeuticals and ZO.

This is the first time that the beauty tech and wellness departments will be available at any John Lewis store and new concepts including ‘Bitesize Beauty’ will be installed housing over 40 brands with travel sized beauty products.

Menswear will also feature its own beauty and grooming area that includes traditional skincare brands such as Clarins, Clinique and Elemis alongside niche brands Murdock and War Paint as well as best selling fragrances.

The new look store has been designed as a hub of inspiration, curation, convenience and personal advice.

The newly renovated childrenswear space is a bright, colourful space to shop for everything you need for little ones.

In a first for John Lewis shops, there are a number of fun, interactive play areas dotted around the shop to encourage parents to relax while their young kids play. This includes a teepee, giant soft play cube game, digital coffee table with a touch-screen top and a soft-play vegetable patch.

The new and enhanced nursery department and service offers an All Things Baby appointment for expectant parents and our newly launched Baby & Beyond appointment supports customers with product purchases as their baby enters the “Child Development stage” - from weaning and feeding to baby proofing and sleeping.

Another first of its kind in Scotland within the Edinburgh store, will be a dedicated NEOM shop, bringing customers a counter of calm within the newly refurbished candle department. Customers can take a ‘scent Discovery’ experience and explore wellbeing ranges from sleep to De-Stress and Energy.

Award-winning florist IXIA will also have a fully-staffed space in the Edinburgh shop.

IXIA brings a desire to provide every home with a little bit of happiness offering flower boxes on nationwide delivery with free delivery.

Both the womenswear and menswear departments have all increased in size offering a much wider collection of brands such as Sweaty Betty and The Fold for women and Albam Utilities, Barbour White Label and Community Clothing for men.

Customers will also be able to try out one-on-one personal styling appointments - from a wardrobe refresh to help finding the perfect pair of jeans.

The wider St James Quarter will open on June 24 providing a major boost to the city’s businesses and creating a fantastic new place for the city’s shoppers to visit.

The John Lewis Edinburgh shop will be open from 9am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 6pm on Sunday.

The Evening News is supporting Forever Edinburgh a joint campaign between the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) and VisitScotland. This encourages people to rediscover the city, its stories and places while supporting local businesses, promoting attractions, shops, bars and restaurants as lockdown eases.