This morning, the John Lewis Partnership unveiled new retail brand names John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners, a change designed to better reflect and differentiate its business model and culture.

The new moniker was revealed on the facades of John Lewis’s flagship shop on Oxford Street, which has undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment, its shop at White City, Westfield, and Waitrose’s shops in Edgware Road and Clerkenwell in London, as well as on johnlewis.com, waitrose.com, carrier bags, uniforms, trolleys, marketing activity, internal shop signs and selected lorries and vans.

The full identity change to all 348 Waitrose and 50 John Lewis shop facades and the combined fleet of 3500 lorries and vans is being phased over a number of years to tie in with refurbishment plans.

In addition to investing in their identities, the John Lewis Partnership said in June that it would continue to invest in both businesses at a rate of £400-£500m per year, to enable the each to differentiate themselves from other retailers by innovating in products, customer service and services.

Paula Nickolds, John Lewis & Partners' MD, says: “Our partnership business model and the inherent strength of our partners really sets us apart. That’s why the change to our visual identity this week puts partners back at the heart of everything we do. This move not only reflects the business we have become but more importantly, the business we want to be.”

The launch of the new identity is being supported by the first joint national marketing campaign, centred around a new TV and cinema advert which features children performing a school play to the sound of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

(Source: furniturenews.net)