What: John Lewis has opened its 2026 Christmas shop across its UK stores, reporting strong early demand across festive categories, with gift wrap searches up fivefold year on year.

Why it is important: With a widened first-half loss and a full-year outcome that depends on peak trading, John Lewis is using early demand data, loyalty-first access and nostalgic ranges to secure festive footfall before the Golden Quarter begins.

John Lewis opened its Christmas shop across UK stores on 23 September, with festive ranges spanning decorations, gifting, wrapping and tableware. Early demand is rising: searches for Christmas gift wrap are up fivefold year on year, charity Christmas card searches are up 75%, and searches for gift tags and stockings have both risen 50%. Christmas cracker sales and searches for Christmas tableware are each up 25%.

The new decoration range leans into the "kidulting" trend, in which adults embrace nostalgic, playful products associated with childhood. Retro-inspired designs include a 1970s disco mouse, a miniature arcade game and a cassette tape, alongside products featuring Miffy, Snoopy and The Gruffalo, and yeti decorations that double as bag charms.

Santa's tea party also returns to selected stores, including Bluewater, Edinburgh and Westfield London, with 28% more tickets than last year; 65% had already been sold to My John Lewis members ahead of general sale on 28 September. Tickets cost £8.80 per child and £27.50 per adult. Loyalty members can also book seasonal masterclasses, from candle making to wreath making, while selected stores will host experiences from Hotel Chocolat and Biscuiteers, and five stores will offer cashmere personalisation.

IADS Notes: The 2026 Christmas shop opens against a tougher backdrop than last year's launch. John Lewis's first-half loss before tax and exceptional items widened to £124m and sales at the John Lewis brand fell 2%, leaving the full-year outcome dependent on peak trading (Drapers, September 2026). Its 2025 Christmas shop relied on exclusive collaborations, personalised gifts and in-store workshops while the business posted a wider £38m operating loss (Drapers, September 2025). The use of loyalty-first ticketing to build festive momentum follows the expansion of John Lewis's loyalty programme with MyJL Beauty, when active members reached 3.8 million, up 4% year on year (Drapers, April 2026). The combination of events, new products and member perks also echoes Macy's "100 Days to Christmas" approach, which used experiences rather than early discounting to protect margins as the Golden Quarter lengthens (Inside Retail, November 2025). The retailer's move on kidulting rests on demand already visible elsewhere: in France, purchases by adults and adolescents rose 22% in 2025 and now account for 36% of toy sales (Le Monde, December 2025).

John Lewis unveils 2026 Christmas shop