The opening of the 17,000 sq ft space in the store’s basement marks the final stages of a£64 million investment to refurbish the store over the past 18 months.
The food hall was developed in partnership with John Lewis Partnership-owned supermaket Waitrose, which supplied more than 8,000 lines of groceries, speciality foods and gourmet ready-to-eat meals.
The retailer is poised to begin work on its second foodhall on the ground floor of its Cardiff store, which is set to open in 2009. Despite the disruption caused by the refurbishments at the Oxford Street store, current trading is up 3 per cent.
John Lewis managing director Andy Street said: “The Oxford Street shop now feels complete, after 143 years of trading. It’s always been seen as the ultimate one-stop shop for Londoners and visitors to the capital, but now we are able to satisfy all their entertaining needs.”
Waitrose managing director Mark Price said: “This is a food hall with a difference. While it celebrates the best of great seasonal food, it’s also accessible and easy to navigate in and out for a quick top-up shop for time-pressed Londoners.”
Refurbishments at Oxford Street, which included the introduction of two atria with escalators at the front and back of the building, has increased its retail space by 40,000 sq ft to just over 300,000 sq ft. It has expanded space for beauty, menswear and ladies' fashions and included two new eateries.
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