British department store group, John Lewis, has been named the official retailer of the London Olympics 2012, helping to boost its brand and expose its merchandise to an international audience
By Jennifer Denby
The company will become the official retailer of London 2012 merchandise. It will dedicate around 5,500 square feet of its Oxford Street and Stratford London stores to selling items such as mugs, clothes, sports equipment, home ware and jewellery, some of which will be exclusive to the store.
The retailer will also furnish the Olympic site in Stratford with John Lewis products, as well as other public and press areas.
Furthermore, the firm will second up to 30,000 staff to the Games, who could work for the organising committee for at least a year leading up to the event in summer 2012.
“We have staff with up to 30 years' experience in logistics, warehousing, recruitment and other areas. We think we have a lot to offer,” said Robert Hennessy, Sports Buyer at John Lewis.
Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), said: “The difference between a good and a great Games is that you need to focus on the quality of the volunteers. And this [John Lewis] is an organisation that can do this.”
Andy Street, Managing Director at John Lewis, said: “This is not John Lewis writing out a cheque for a substantial sum of cash. For us, it's about building our reputation and driving footfall. We think we will probably wash our face.”