The history of John Lewis Oxford Street

The making of one of London`s finest department stores

It`s hard to imagine that back in 1864, Oxford Street, which today lies at the heart of London`s West End shopping area, was lined with tiny single shops such as booksellers, shoemakers and goldsmiths.

It was here that John Lewis leased a shop. At 28 he had 14 years` experience in the drapery trade, working as a buyer at Peter Robinson. He began selling ribbons and haberdashery and in 1870, expanded into linens. He knew how to buy well and was scrupulously honest, quickly gaining a reputation for good value.

Over the next 20 years, the shop grew considerably. First by leasing buildings in Holles Street, next by the acquisition of more shops in Oxford Street, and finally, in 1895, by the purchase of Cavendish Buildings.

His two sons, Spedan and Oswald, joined the business and, in 1905, he purchased the ailing Peter Jones, which he handed over to Spedan in 1914. In 1928, at the age of 92, John Lewis died and, as Oswald had withdrawn from the business in 1926, the management of both shops devolved entirely to Spedan Lewis.

Spedan Lewis was a profound thinker and a man driven by conscience. He believed that the profits from a business should be shared with the workers who had produced them. It was by implementing this belief, together with other ways of involving the workforce, that he had succeeded in turning round Peter Jones.

When he inherited the Oxford Street shop, he lost no time in extending his scheme. He instituted a written constitution by which the structure of the Partnership was secured and the power of its Chairman, Board and Councils defined and regulated, and in 1929 he established a Trust for the benefit of the workers at the two department stores. The John Lewis Partnership was born.

One of the first things Spedan Lewis did was to extend the Oxford Street premises yet again. In 1928 he took over a property on the other side of Holles Street and connected it to the existing building by an underground tunnel. The two buildings became known as West House and the East House.

During the 1930s, the shop continued to flourish, but on Wednesday 18 September 1940, disaster struck. An oil bomb fell on the West House, and the fire, fanned by a strong wind, crossed to the East House.

On 17 October 1960, the new John Lewis Oxford Street opened, and looked from the outside much as it does today, save for the cast aluminium `Winged Figure` by Barbara Hepworth, which was added in 1962.

The shop continued to expand over subsequent years, with the move of the head office to Victoria and the auditorium, which had been used for Partnership meetings and concerts, was pulled down and the space became the home for a much-expanded toy department.

No department store can afford to rest on its laurels, particularly in the highly competitive environment of the West End. During 2001 the basement, ground and first floors were dramatically refurbished.

More than 140 years after John Lewis opened his shop in 1864, customers at John Lewis Oxford Street are as assured of the quality and value of the merchandise today as they were then.

For more information on the history of the John Lewis Partnership visit The Memory Store.

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