Our Heritage - John Lewis of Hungerford

Our Heritage

Our founder has always believed that something special happens when great design is combined with a genuine desire to serve. He has always delighted in using his natural love for kitchens and family, to create the most beautiful spaces for our customers. Fired by his energy, drive, passion and empathy, these are the values on which our Company is built. His belief in how very much the details matter, continues to be a cornerstone in how we work, always ensuring you are in good hands. The result is exquisitely individual rooms where people feel they belong.

1972

1972

The Journey Starts…

I’m going to start my own business making furniture…I’ve found a little building in Hungerford that would make a great workshop. I’m spending too long fixing this workshop, I want it to be just right but I mustn’t put off making some furniture for much longer… My hair froze to the wall last night and the gas froze. It’s very hard but I’ve got to keep going… Yes. A 4’6″ Welsh dresser. That will be 97.50 and delivery will be 4 weeks. Thank you!

1973

1973

One Year On…

I need to improve the workshop, get more efficient, maybe get some technical advice… Jim Boyne from COSIRA is really helpful, on his advice I’m going to buy a spindle moulder.

1976

1976

The Artisan

I took the lease on a new showroom in Hungerford high street last year. The turnover I needed seemed huge, but sales are going well. Now I need more workshop space… a big factory space in Wantage, yes, I’ll take it!… It’s so hot this summer and I’m working so hard; building, selling, installing. My team are great so I can take a break… Positano in Italy for a holiday in my Alfa Romeo, OK. Maybe I’ll see how they make their kitchens while I’m here… arched fielded panel doors, brilliant, we can do that too!

1978

1978

Breton Kitchen Created

I took on another showroom in Henley-on-Thames. People love our products, the new design and the craftsmanship. I want everything to be perfect, the design, production, showrooms, but I can’t do everything, I am going to have to concentrate on the development of the business.

1980

1980

National Press Coverage

Finding favour with the national press including Good Houskeeping

1984

1984

Growing—London Booming

We’re growing and I have added new kitchen ranges, we needed more factory space so 2 years ago I took another 5000 sq ft opposite our existing Wantage building. Business in London is booming, there’s a great deal of money about, we need a new showroom…Connaught Street near Marble Arch, yes… we better take on a PR company too.

1987

1987

Award Winning Kitchen

Fantastic building in Bath on 4 levels, we have truly great products and I want to make the best kitchen showroom in the world…the IDI exhibition in London, we have a fantastic stand, 2 beautiful kitchens, one in silver set on a floor covered with silver sand! Richard Liberty has come over and asked if I would like to open a kitchen showroom in Liberty on Regent Street… YES!… the Liberty Showroom is fantastic, Richard asks if I will do a bathroom showroom too, well… OK!

1989

1989

Strong Business

Business is going so well. Economy has been very strong, we now have 4 factories, 7 showrooms and employ 85 people, it’s quite a business! But there are signs of a slowdown so I am concentrating on future designs and great customer service.

1990

1990

Bull Market to Bear

Building trade has collapsed and sales are down. We have big overheads and I have painful decisions to make. Our kitchens are truly beautiful, premium quality with a price to match. The Liberty bath house will have to be closed, as will the Bath showroom, redundancies are inevitable. It’s a very lonely time.

1991

1991

The Mosimann Factor

Mosimann — a dining institution Anton Mosimann’s experience in the kitchen was second-to-none and one we are proud to be associated with.

1992

1992

The Artisan Kitchen

I think we have survived a tough two years. We’re down to 12 employees, 2 showrooms and 1 factory… we are making tables for MacDonalds to help keep us going but my passion for kitchens and furniture remains strong… I have a great idea! It will be ‘basic product made with care and attention’…I’ll call it the Artisan Kitchen.

1997

1997

A Public Company

So many people love the Artisan product and our care and attention to detail. I’ve expanded the Artisan range to include 3 styles, the Original, the Shaker and the Urban. Our kitchens are affordable, look great and are built to last … we’re growing well and have now become a PLC

2001

2001

Next Generation

Our ‘affordable quality’ continues to be popular, now with the children of our original customers from years gone by and we have great opportunities to expand our ranges and open new showrooms across the country. Our Artisan and Shaker kitchens our available in many more paint finishes now.

2004

2004

End of an Era

The Iconic shop, Liberty has been bought out and they decided not to continue with kitchens so I was asked to close the showroom. I need a new showroom in London.

2005

2005

Crème de la Crème

Wandsworth Bridge Road, great large store in an interesting area, I love it! It will be my new flagship showroom and where I will launch my Crème de la Crème Kitchen.

2008

2008

Steamer Bay

We have a great opportunity to expand our ranges and open new showrooms across the country. Our Artisan and Shaker kitchens remain in style and we have new ranges called Steamer Bay, Crème de la Crème and Cool. These are exciting times, our passion for kitchen design and attention to detail has never been stronger and the future looks very good.

2009

2009

Exclusive Paint

We launched our very own paint chart this summer, with over 92 exclusive colours to choose from and our turn key service is better than ever with fully managed installation supported by the government backed IKBBI.

2010

2010

Twelfth Showroom

We are thrilled to open our twelfth showroom in a stunning Grade II listed building in the market town of Beaconsfield. The showroom, which features some of the most popular ranges and furniture as well as a few new surprises, is bang in the middle of the historic Old Town development.

2011

2011

Award Winning Paint

We’ve done it! Our painted kitchen cabinetry is now officially the hardest wearing in the kitchen world. Our Gloss and Satin Eggshell finishes have been awarded the highest rating available by SATRA Technology Centre, certifying the kitchens for, severe usage.

2012

2012

Our 40th Anniversary

We celebrated our 40th anniversary in style during what was a quintessentially British year of celebrations including the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The company continues to flourish whilst remaining true to the ethos of producing wonderful kitchens of outstanding quality, all made in Great Britain.

2013

2013

Flagship Showroom Refit

Our original workshop and flagship showroom in Hungerford undergoes an extensive refit to bring it up to date with the styles and colours for 2013. This showroom work is being followed with a new bedroom showroom in Wantage and a Fulham showroom refurbishment to ensure that the best of what we can offer is available to see in the capital.

2014

2014

New Pure Kitchen

Inspired by mid-century design we took the brave step of introducing PURE with its subtle retro influences. It has soft-closing handleless doors creating a streamlined look, while solid blocks of colour make it truly for today. It was voted Best Luxury Kitchen in 2014 in House Beautiful awards and gained Silver.

2015

2015

Our Video Story

With the help of Zeke Creative, we embarked on a journey to capture the essence of what makes John Lewis of Hungerford special, we captured all that this means in our first video.

2016

2016

New Website

Building on our essence captured in the video we launched our new website that reflects our new creative direction: simpler, more stylish and proud to celebrate our creative team by bringing their showrooms to the centre of the new website.

2017

2017

Bedroom Collection Launches in our Winchester Showroom

We are pleased to announce our fantastic bespoke fitted wardrobes collection is available in our Winchester showroom. We have been designing and installing fabulous fitted wardrobes into our customer bedrooms for the last 4 years and we are very excited to be able to showcase this beautiful range.

The collection in Winchester proudly displays our very popular walk-in wardrobe along with our classic wardrobe options

2018

2018

The Launch of 18 New Colours

We introduced 18 beautiful new colours to our extensive colour palette, which offers a delightful choice of tones and hues. Our 18 new colours range from classic neutral to moody tones and vibrant shades.

2020

The Launch of our 2020 Colour Palette.

We continued to introduced further rich and subtle colours to our colour collection.

2022

50th Anniversary

2022 is a special year for our Company; it is a year in which John Lewis of Hungerford proudly celebrates its golden anniversary. It is fantastic to mark this milestone in our history, as we remember how wonderful it has been to be work with each of our customers to transform the way they live and enjoy their homes.

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