Audley Travel will open its first-ever physical retail concessions in 12 John Lewis stores across the UK, including John Lewis Poole, marking the tailor-made specialist's entry onto the high street in its 30th anniversary year.

The deal gives the operator — which sells bespoke journeys to more than 90 destinations — a distribution channel it has never used before: department store floors. The Poole concession opens this autumn.

For sellers of luxury tailor-made travel, the move signals that face-to-face retail is back in the strategic playbook, provided it piggybacks on established high-street footfall rather than standalone shopfronts.

The model

Richard Hodgson, CEO at Audley Travel, framed the concessions as a client-acquisition play rather than a transaction channel.

"We're delighted to be opening one of our first retail concessions in Poole and engage new clients through immersive in-store experiences, allowing us to really bring our unique offering to life," Hodgson said.

"Our in-store staff will work closely with our destination specialists, each of whom arranges trips to only a small number of destinations – not a whole region – having lived or travelled extensively there."

Visitors to the Poole concession will meet a personal travel expert who then works with Audley's remote destination specialists to design bespoke journeys. The in-store role is lead generation and consultation; product expertise stays centralized.

The retail spaces will carry regularly refreshed displays and immersive experiences designed to convert browsers into enquiries.

What's in it for John Lewis

The partnership forms part of John Lewis' strategy to fill its stores with specialist concessions that lift dwell time and footfall. Katie Papakonstantinou, director of services and hospitality at John Lewis, positioned travel as a natural extension of the department store's home-and-lifestyle proposition.

"Our stores are the beating heart of the John Lewis brand, and physical retail is undergoing an exciting revolution," she said. "Today's shoppers want far more than products on shelves, they want inspiration, helpful expertise, and extraordinary experiences."

"Introducing Audley's exceptional tailor-made travel service to our stores is a perfect fit for our customers, creating an environment where they can not only shop for their homes but also discover and plan their next extraordinary journey," Papakonstantinou added.

Why it matters for the trade

Audley has built its business on phone-and-online consultation with deep specialist knowledge, supported by a global network of local partners. Adding high-street concessions tests whether luxury tailor-made buyers — often older, high-value repeat clients — respond to in-person discovery in non-travel retail environments.

The operator has disclosed no sales targets, investment figures, or commission structures for the concessions. The 12-store scale and single flagship opening date this autumn suggest a phased pilot rather than a full retail roll-out, and Audley will need Poole and its sister sites to generate qualified enquiries at a cost that beats its existing digital acquisition channels.

The announcement contains no claims of measured results — this is a launch, not a report. The proof point for the trade will be whether the John Lewis model drives incremental bookings for high-value tailor-made trips, and whether other luxury operators follow Audley onto the department store floor.