Offering value
John Lewis: 'Never Knowingly Undersold'
At John Lewis value is about more than price, it's also shown in the quality of our products and our expert, highly professional service. We keep a close eye on our competitors to ensure we always offer great quality at fair prices, supported by excellent service and, as a result, we believe we provide value that's unrivalled on the high street.
Our Partners' commitment to our business success is reflected in the impartial advice and excellent after-sales support we provide. 'Never Knowingly Undersold' has been our trading philosophy since 1925, and remains at the very heart of everything we do.
Download the John Lewis Never Knowingly Undersold leaflet (PDF size: 136KB)
Waitrose's 'Price Commitment'
Waitrose's enviable reputation for quality often leads people to assume that we're expensive. This simply isn't the case.
Waitrose's reputation for freshness, quality, safety and provenance, and our 'Price Commitment', ensures we offer consistent value for money. In September 2010, we launched our Brand Price Match commitment where we're matching Tesco prices on 1,000 everyday branded products, to help our shoppers save on the brands that they buy from us most frequently. This is a long-term commitment which further outlines our value proposition to our customers. All 1,000 items, from store cupboard staples such as Heinz Baked Beans to household basics like Persil, are monitored twice a week to ensure they are kept in line with our commitment. This is reinforced by our own-brand 'Essential Waitrose' identity: 1,500 products at affordable prices with the same quality standards and sourcing integrity that customers expect from Waitrose. In addition, there are at least 1,000 price promotions in store every week, and in 2009, Waitrose became the first supermarket to offer free delivery on every online grocery order.
We are committed to keeping prices for customers as low as possible, but not at any cost. We pay our suppliers fair prices, and believe in paying for quality: what food tastes like; where it comes from; whether it contains additives; and, if it is an animal product, how the animals have been treated.
Reaching new customers
There are millions of potential customers without access to one of our shops, so we are exploring ways to make our products available to more of them. For example, in 2010, John Lewis opened its first John Lewis at home stores, which focus exclusively on furniture and home technology, and we considerably enhanced our fashion offering on Johnlewis.com
Seizing significant opportunities in the food-to-go sector, we have opened new Waitrose convenience shops and have partnerships with Welcome Break and Boots. As part of our due diligence in establishing such partnerships, we work to ensure we are satisfied that the third party is committed to conducting its business in an economically, environmentally and socially responsible way. Under a licensing partnership, Waitrose opened its second shop in Dubai in 2009, and opened one in Bahrain in 2010.
Building accessible shops and services
So that all customers can access our products, we integrate accessibility into the design, construction and operation of our shops and services. We try to meet individual customer needs including hearing, sight or mobility issues, or if they require information in different formats.
The Disability Discrimination Act (www.direct.gov.uk) requires organisations to make it easier for disabled people to access their buildings. To meet the spirit as well as the letter of the DDA, we worked with an accessibility consultant on over 200 access audits, looking at entrances and exits, customer catering facilities, fitting rooms and toilets, and improving access to our older buildings. We are always reviewing our service and physical access levels to ensure we meet the individual needs of all our customers.
John Lewis and Waitrose offer a wide range of facilities to make shopping easier for disabled customers, those with prams and pushchairs, and customers with other accessibility needs. These include but are not limited to: accessible lifts, toilets and till points, hearing loops at customer service desks; clearer signage and lighting; designated parking areas; home delivery; and online ordering. Customers can also receive our information in alternative formats, such as large print, Braille and audio CD and many Waitrose Partners are specially trained to help disabled customers.