John Lewis to open Olympic Games shop

The department store retailer’s managing director Andy Street said this morning that the Stratford store will be build adjacent to the Olympic Park where the games will be staged in 2012. The shop will be part of the Westfield Stratford development.

John Lewis will also open an Olympic shop at its flagship Oxford Street store in central London. All net profit will go back to London 2012 on Olympic merchandise sold. The shop-in-shops will be about 5,000 to 5,500sq ft in size at peak in the run up to the Games.

John Lewis will also offer the opportunity for its staff to volunteer at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). The retailer declined to comment on how many staff would volunteer in the run up to the Games.

John Lewis will help to furnish lounge and reception areas at venues at the Games and provide warehouse space.

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said John Lewis brings a “wealth of retail experience which will be invaluable to us as our merchandise programme ramps up and crucially, members of staff will join our own to provide expertise and ensure those visiting our Games receive the warmest of welcomes in 2012”.

John Lewis managing director Andy Street said: “Sustainability and community are at the heart of our business and we are therefore delighted to be involved with the regeneration of east London through anchoring the Olympic development in Stratford with our latest full-line department store as well as helping to fund the most exciting sporting event for a generation.”

The publicity surrounding the deal is expected to provide a further boost to trade at John Lewis, which has had a strong start to 2010.

The group saw sales boom by 15.7% to £51.2m in the week to January 23.

The department store group has long been an advocate of the London Olympics and backed the city’s bid by becoming a “Champion Supporter” of the London 2012 committee in 2005.