John Lewis has launched its first own brand gift collection called Find Keep Give. The range features unique pieces, the majority of which were designed in-house by Partners.
The launch tied-in with a significant milestone for the company on September 4. For the first time in its history, the 83,000 Partners who work for the John Lewis Partnership have been included in the name of the business, with both John Lewis and Waitrose adding ‘& Partners’.
“Our Partnership business model and the inherent strength of our Partners really sets us apart,” explained John Lewis & Partners managing director Paula Nickolds. “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.”
‘John Lewis & Partners’ and ‘Waitrose & Partners’ have been unveiled 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 John Lewis and Waitrose shop facades, 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 £400m-£500m per year, to enable the two retail businesses to differentiate themselves from other retailers by innovating in products, customer service and services.
The launch of the new identity is being supported by the first ever joint John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners national marketing campaign, the single biggest ever campaign for both brands outside of Christmas. It includes a new TV and cinema advert, screened on September 4 during the Great British Bake Off, which features children performing a school play to the sound of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, and ending with the line ‘For us, it’s personal’.
The campaign, which conveys the key message that when you are part of something you put your heart into it, shines a light on the stories and skills of more than 100 real Partners from across both businesses to illustrate what makes the Partnership a unique business.
Top: John Lewis has rebranded as John Lewis & Partners.
