6 minute read
KATHERINE NEWTON John Lewis
FINDING INSTALLERS THAT COMPLEMENT JOHN LEWIS BRAND VALUES
The Installer magazine has created a coup in arranging an interview with Katherine Newton who is the driving force behind the kitchen and bathroom installation teams at the John Lewis Partnership including strategy and recruitment. It is rare to meet someone so dynamic in this industry so we especially thank her for her highly-valued time and candid approach to answering our questions:
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Hi Katherine, John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is one of the most recognised and trusted brands in the UK and its rare for a business to connect so comfortably with the British public; but is the UK consumer aware of the fact that they can purchase a completely installed kitchen and bathroom from John Lewis? That's a good question. As a partnership, the loyalty and trust that our customers place with us is a huge responsibility. We are famous for connecting to our customers with our Christmas adverts but not so famous for our installation service, in fact most customers won't realise we have quietly been getting on with kitchen installation for over 80 years. Customers will only know about our bathroom installation service via word of mouth. It was a soft launch, so we haven't actually told our customers via any advertising method that we are offering the service yet, and how quickly word of mouth spreads! I am already looking at a 2nd installer recruitment wave for after Christmas.
What did you see as the most immediate task? Getting launched in a short time frame was the biggest challenge. I joined the company in early November half
way through the project and it was an understatement to say that I hit the ground running. We had originally hoped to launch our first branch in February, a delay caused by IT meant that it was April before we could begin to offer the service; to be honest, I was glad of the breathing room as it added more time to the recruitment process.
If most customers were unaware that John Lewis installed kitchens, why have they embraced your installation initiatives so readily? They have because of the trust and reliable reputation that we have as a brand. Consumers can be wary of kitchen and bathroom installation due to bad press and rogue traders over the years, but John Lewis offers them a safe haven, this why our partnership with the iKBBI is so important as our values and standards dovetail perfectly and provide our customers with peace of mind, after all a new kitchen or bathroom is a considered investment.
What new initiatives can you tell us about? There is something really exciting just around the corner for us. We recently launched our bathroom installation service in our full line department stores and have embarked on a massive installer recruitment programme. We have actively sought the help of iKBBI members as we need the best. Furthermore, the institute was an amazing help as it also helped and advised with sourcing, vetting, recruitment, due diligence, legal and pricing events and installer induction.
Can you elaborate please Katherine? John Lewis always strives to surpass customer expectation so everything that we do is tailored to each individual customer, from initial design concept to installation. We recognise that getting it right first time is part of that John Lewis ‘magic’ and our fantastic installers are integral to delivering the ‘magic!’
We all know the importance of recruiting great installers - it's tough out there right? I felt this was our biggest challenge when setting up our service, so I heavily invested in a robust recruitment process. We contacted over 500 installer teams that are local to the seven branches. Over 200 installers were invited to attend our recruitment open days across the country. I wanted to create something unique that installers hadn't experienced before. An opportunity for them to mingle with the branch teams, have a 1-2-1 interviews to find out about John Lewis and then plenty of time to talk to our suppliers so they could understand the quality of the product they would be installing for us. I really wanted to showcase our premium products offer to prospective installers. I am proud to say that we have successfully sub-contracted 47 new installer teams for our seven branches that offer bathroom installation.
It sounds to me that you are also proud of your installation teams too? The value of a great installer is under estimated by so many, but not at John Lewis. I want our installer’s teams to feel like partners not sub-contractors. I am confident that we have invested in our installer relationships with the right rates and package, training at our premium suppliers, and most importantly induction
events, so we could demonstrate and share with installers what makes John Lewis so special to its customers. What is most critical to this relationship is bringing together the installer expertise with our partner knowledge and experience. Creating the magic that is so unique to the John Lewis experience.
Its early days but how do you feel its going? I've been out and about visiting our new teams during their installations and their customers are relaying to me about their professionalism, workmanship and how comfortable they are to have them working in their home. And of course, they look great in their John Lewis approved installer polos!
What have you enjoyed most about this ‘journey’ so far? Finding the best installers in the business and personally meeting every single one of them especially when I deliver their induction days. It’s great to see how the installers become an integral part of the John Lewis family. I also get a buzz from witnessing first-hand their high-quality workmanship and watching them make our customer’s dreams come true.
Are their any other initiatives in the pipeline, if you’ll pardon the pun? I've only just got started with bathroom installation really but there are lots of service offers that we will shortly make available to our customers. I promise that when we are ready to tell the Industry, the iKBBI and The Installer magazine will be the first to know. My next project is reviewing our kitchen installation service and making improvements for both our customers and our installer teams. It's a big job and I mean business, so if you feel that you are the ‘crème de la crème’ of the installer world and want to improve your work/ business lifestyle then I definitely want to hear from you. In the first instance, register your interest via the BiKBBI Skills Bank.
It sounds a bit cheesy I know but if you had a personal business mission statement what would it be? I look forward to supporting many years of installation excellence, securing loyalty and trust by providing outstanding choice, value and service.
Finally, do you have any further plans to work with the iKBBI? Definitely, in fact I’m really looking forward to playing an active part in new iKBBI led Installation Education Assembly. I applaud initiatives like these because education, training and development are absolutely fundamental to the development of the industry and JLP’s future plans.
