John Lewis partners with Jamie Oliver to boost hospitality offer

Jamie Oliver has opened a café and cookery school at John Lewis’ Oxford Street store as the retailer looks to boost its hospitality offering.

The 4,600 sq ft space is spread across the third floor of the building and includes two cookery school classrooms and a 50-seat café run in partnership with Jamie Oliver Group.

John Lewis said it had seen hospitality sales rise 6% over the last year and one in five transactions made in its stores was now in a café or restaurant.

It plans to invest in five new hospitality openings in 2025, taking the total number of cafés and restaurants across its 36 stores to 62.

Ori Caffes, which offer a Mediterranean-style menu in eight stores, will open in John Lewis’ Liverpool and Solihull stores later this year.

Katie Papakonstantinou, director of services and hospitality for John Lewis, said: “Whether it’s a chance to ponder a purchase, or an escape from the bustle of the shop floor, having a varied and exciting assortment of hospitality offerings within our stores is vital for our customer experience.”

The first Jamie Oliver Cookery School launched in 2016 and is based in the chef’s headquarters in north London.

Ed Loftus, group restaurant director at the Jamie Oliver Group, said: “This is the next step in growing the footprint of the Jamie Oliver Cookery School across the UK and internationally.

“Our Cookery School in Jamie Oliver HQ in north London has seen incredible growth since it first opened and even more importantly, we continue to receive incredible positive feedback from our customers. To see our sentiment scores continually high brings me total joy.”

Jamie Oliver made his UK restaurant comeback in 2023 with the launch of Jamie Oliver Catherine Street in London’s Covent Garden.

His international business continues to expand and has around 80 restaurants worldwide run with franchise partners in more than 20 markets.