Reinventing the department store with shoppertainment

As retailers struggle to engage customers, a U.K. store is adding show business to the mix.

The more than 300 staff at a John Lewis store have been given acting lessons, voice coaching and body language skills, as part of the company’s plan to “reinvent the department store for the 21st century”.

More than a fifth of the shop’s 120,000-square-foot selling space is devoted to 21 “services and experiences,” ranging from style advice to personalised Christmas baubles. The retail theatre is stage-managed via an “experience desk” where shoppers can plan their itinerary.