Peter Jones & Partners
Peter Jones & Partners is a Grade II* listed department store on Sloane Square in Chelsea, London, and a member of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Peter Jones & Partners is a major department store located on the west side of Sloane Square in Chelsea, London. Although the business is formally known as Peter Jones & Partners, it is still widely referred to simply as Peter Jones. The store trades within the John Lewis Partnership, the employee-owned retail group that also operates the John Lewis department-store chain and Waitrose supermarkets. The business began in 1877, when Peter Rees Jones established a shop at 4–6 King's Road after earlier trading in Marylebone Lane. Jones was the son of a hat manufacturer from Carmarthenshire and had trained in the drapery trade before moving to London. His King's Road business expanded across much of the surrounding block and operated from premises held on a long lease from the Cadogan estate. The original enterprise later experienced difficult trading conditions, and after Jones's death it was acquired by John Lewis, owner of the Oxford Street department store. In 1914, John Lewis transferred the store to his son, John Spedan Lewis. Peter Jones subsequently became part of the profit-sharing partnership that developed into the modern John Lewis Partnership. The store is particularly important in the partnership's institutional history: its integration is associated with the early development of the democratic employee-ownership model that remains central to the group's identity. The current building was constructed between 1932 and 1936 to designs by architect William Crabtree of Slater, Crabtree and Moberly. It occupies an entire island site and is noted for its pioneering use of a glass curtain-wall approach in British modernist commercial architecture. The building is listed at Grade II* level, reflecting its architectural and historical significance. A major refurbishment, led by John McAslan and Partners, was completed in 2004. As a full-line department store, Peter Jones offers a broad selection of merchandise and services associated with the John Lewis retail format, including fashion, beauty, home furnishings, furniture, electrical goods, and other household categories. Its location in Chelsea gives it a strongly London-based identity, while its ownership links it operationally and commercially to the wider John Lewis Partnership. The store experienced a period of strong performance during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Simon Fowler became managing director in 2009 and oversaw a two-year period in which sales and profits reached record levels. This period also coincided with the centenary of Peter Jones's membership of the John Lewis Partnership. Tony Wheeler was appointed managing director in 2011. The store remains an active John Lewis Partnership department store and continues to combine a historic London retail presence with the group's employee-owned business model.
History
Peter Jones & Partners traces its origins to 1877, when Peter Rees Jones opened a shop at 4–6 King's Road in Chelsea. Jones had moved to London after an apprenticeship with a draper in Cardigan and an earlier retail venture in Marylebone Lane. His Chelsea business prospered and expanded to occupy much of the block surrounding the present store site. The premises were held on a 999-year lease from the Cadogan estate, reportedly at an annual rent whose original terms were never increased. After a period of troubled trading and the death of Peter Jones in 1905, the business was acquired by John Lewis, the owner of the Oxford Street department store. Lewis transferred the store to his son, John Spedan Lewis, in 1914. Under Spedan Lewis's direction, Peter Jones became part of the profit-sharing partnership that eventually developed into the John Lewis Partnership. Its incorporation into the partnership is remembered as an important stage in the evolution of the group's democratic employee-ownership structure. The original premises were replaced by the present building, constructed from 1932 to 1936. William Crabtree, working with the architectural firm Slater, Crabtree and Moberly, designed the building as a modernist department store occupying an island site on the west side of Sloane Square. Its glass curtain-wall treatment was an important early British application of modern commercial architecture. The building is now listed Grade II*, recognising both its architectural character and its place in the history of British retailing. A substantial refurbishment was completed in 2004 under the direction of John McAslan and Partners. The work modernised the retail environment while retaining the building's architectural significance. Peter Jones continued to operate as a department store within the John Lewis Partnership, serving customers in Chelsea and the wider London area. Management changes and strong trading formed another notable phase in the store's modern history. Simon Fowler became managing director in 2009 and was associated with a two-year period of record sales and profits. The period overlapped with the centenary of Peter Jones's membership of the John Lewis Partnership, highlighting the store's institutional importance within the group. Tony Wheeler was appointed managing director in 2011. The store has also held two royal warrants, granted by Charles when he was Prince of Wales and by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. These warrants reflected the store's role as a supplier to members of the Royal Household at the time they were granted. Peter Jones remains an active department store under John Lewis Partnership ownership, with a merchandise range spanning fashion, beauty, home, electrical, and lifestyle categories.
- 2011
Tony Wheeler becomes managing director
[1]Tony Wheeler was appointed managing director.
- 2009
Simon Fowler becomes managing director
[1]Simon Fowler was appointed managing director during a period later associated with record sales and profits.
- 2004
Major refurbishment completed
[1]A lengthy refurbishment led by John McAslan and Partners was completed.
- 1936
Present Sloane Square building opens
[1]The current Peter Jones building opened on the island site beside Sloane Square.
- 1932
Construction of the present building begins
[1]Construction began on the modernist department-store building designed by William Crabtree of Slater, Crabtree and Moberly.
- 1914
Transfer to John Spedan Lewis
[1]After acquisition by John Lewis, the store was handed to his son John Spedan Lewis and became associated with the developing profit-sharing partnership.
- 1905
Death of Peter Rees Jones
[1]Peter Jones died after the business had expanded but also experienced difficult trading conditions.
- 1877
Peter Jones establishes the Chelsea store
[1]Peter Rees Jones moved his business to 4–6 King's Road, Chelsea, establishing the retail enterprise that became Peter Jones.
Products and positioning
A heritage London department store combining premium mainstream merchandise, broad department-store choice, and the service and employee-ownership values of the John Lewis Partnership.
Apparel retail
Fashion and accessories
Peter Jones carries department-store fashion ranges for men, women, and children, together with accessories. The category forms part of the store's broad John Lewis retail proposition rather than representing a separately documented Peter Jones product brand.
Beauty retail
Beauty
The store's beauty offer includes cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and related personal-care merchandise supplied through the John Lewis department-store format.
Home retail
Home and furniture
Home furnishings, furniture, household products, and lifestyle goods are central parts of the store's full-line department-store assortment, serving both everyday household needs and interior projects.
Consumer electronics retail
Electrical and technology
Peter Jones offers electrical and technology merchandise within the wider John Lewis assortment, complementing its fashion, home, and lifestyle departments.
Sources1 sources
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