John Lewis has announced a £50m ($66.5m) investment across five UK stores this year, with Glasgow set to receive more than £20m in what the retailer describes as its largest single-store outlay in recent years.

Spanning 28,000m², the Glasgow branch will undergo a full refurbishment across its fashion, beauty, home and technology departments, with work expected to run until early 2027. The store will continue trading throughout.

The remaining funds will be directed at branches in Cambridge, Leicester and Reading, which will each receive multi-million-pound upgrades. In addition, the Liverpool store will see further work following improvements carried out last year.

The five-store programme sits within John Lewis' broader £800m transformation initiative, under which all 36 outlets in its estate are earmarked for upgrade over time.

According to the retailer, refurbished locations have seen sales growth and higher customer satisfaction scores, underpinning its continued commitment to the programme.

John Lewis cited shifting shopping patterns as a driver of the investment, pointing to growing demand for in-store services, specialist advice and experiences that bridge physical and digital retail.

The company said it recorded a “record” volume of customer appointments last year, spanning personal styling and nursery consultations while hospitality-related transactions accounted for more than one in five in-store purchases during the period.

The investment also extends to its food and beverage offer.

John Lewis is rolling out its Platter hospitality format, with a target of 32 cafés and restaurants adopting the concept by the end of 2027.

John Lewis managing director Peter Ruis said: “We are continuing to invest across our estate so our shops reflect the things customers value most about John Lewis — expert guidance, inspiring products and the confidence to make the right choice. These investments are about more than just a fresh look; they are about creating places where customers love to spend their time.”

Earlier this year, the retailer announced plans to integrate AI-powered shopping tools and explore sales through TikTok Shop as further strands of the transformation programme.

John Lewis also said its products are expected to become discoverable through AI platforms, including Google Gemini and ChatGPT, later this year.