The opening of John Lewis's second 'at home' shop at the end of August represented the end of an intense period for Occupation Manager Gavin Smith – and the start of what promises to be a long line of the smaller-format stores. 'Next stop? Swindon and Tunbridge Wells!' says Gavin, already planning ahead.
As the man responsible for working with external contractors to hand over new branches, Gavin and his team – including 75 specialist helpers from virtually every branch and the Distribution Centres – were responsible for successfully merchandising the new-format's shopfloor in record time.
'We've had challenges but we've learned from them,' explains Gavin, a veteran of John Lewis openings at Cardiff, Liverpool and Leicester. 'This shouldn't feel any different to a full-sized shop,' he says, adding that working on the at home shops is 'equally as exciting, but in a different way.'
It's certainly different to the 280,000 square foot retail paradise of John Lewis Cardiff, the latest in John Lewis's full-line department stores, which Gavin merchandised in just 14 days prior to its opening in September 2009. 'Shortening the process focused our minds,' said Gavin. 'It was intense but productive'.