Apple Watch Expands to John Lewis and Currys Stores in the United Kingdom

After being sold at a few high-end boutiques around the United Kingdom in the Spring, it was recently announced that the Apple Watch would begin hitting some more mainstream UK-based department stores, including John Lewis (via Wareable) and Currys. Besides the high-end locations, prior to this announcement the only place for UK customers to purchase an Apple Watch was in an Apple Store.

478248-apple-watch-bands
Currys' impending sale of the Apple Watch was discovered in late August, but no specific date was known at the time. With the announcement of the Apple Watch coming to John Lewis department stores, it appears that Apple's new wearable will launch at both locations on the same day, September 18. Thirty-seven of John Lewis' forty-four stores in the UK will be getting the Apple Watch, with four more confirming availability by Christmas.

"We believe Apple Watch will be one of the most sought after gifts this Christmas," said Will Jones, head of buying communication technology at John Lewis. We expect a couple more British retailers to follow but Apple isn't going to rush to remove the air of exclusivity around the Watch it is still just about maintaining.

Currys is a bit more proliferated in the UK than John Lewis, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores located in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. Both John Lewis and Currys will also provide online support for Apple Watch sales, with Currys letting customers put in a pre-order for the device on their website right now. As of writing, the John Lewis website just has a simple placeholder page with information for customers about the new device.

The expansion of the Apple Watch has been growing since its launch in April, with Best Buy stores now widely selling the device -- and even AppleCare and a few of its accessories -- in the United States and Canada. Fnac locations in France also began selling the Apple Watch in late August. The recent confirmation of John Lewis and Currys locations joining in the support of selling the wearable device on September 18 will come just two days after the release of watchOS 2, as well.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

Unggoy Murderer Avatar
120 months ago
I've had nothing but dreadful customer service and after sales support from Currys/PC World. Please, if you're wanting to buy an Apple Watch (or anything else to be honest) go somewhere else.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RichTF Avatar
120 months ago
John Lewis and Currys cover very different demographics. I guess it makes obvious business sense for Apple, but feels kinda weird seeing those two brands mentioned together…

For context, Currys is where that John Browett guy came from, the one with (thankfully) a very short stint as the Apple head of retail. John Lewis on the other hand, they're a very respected retailer known for truly excellent customer service — a lot of people recommend buying Apple gear from them instead of an Apple Store, because they provide an additional year's warranty for free.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CB1234 Avatar
120 months ago
You seem to indicate in this article that the Apple Watch is out in Ireland.. It is not, we don't have the Apple Watch anywhere here. Yes currys is in Ireland but the Apple Watch isn't. (Do I sound p*ssed off and annoyed? Yes cos I am, it's so annoying that Apple doesn't release the Apple watch here! WHY? Every iPhone and iPad comes out here within weeks of launch but months and months later still nothing.)
...not to mention that Apple have offices in Cork, Ireland....
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iolinux333 Avatar
120 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/14/apple-watch-expands-united-kingdom/')


After being sold at a few high-end ('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/19/apple-watch-parisian-store/') boutiques ('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/01/apple-watch-selfridges-shop/') around the United Kingdom in the Spring, it was recently announced that the Apple Watch would begin hitting some more mainstream UK-based department stores, including John Lewis (via Wareable ('http://www.wareable.com/apple-watch/john-lewis-stores-uk-1669')) and Currys. Besides the high-end locations, prior to this announcement the only place for UK customers to purchase an Apple Watch was in an Apple Store.



Currys' impending sale of the Apple Watch was discovered in late August ('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/08/28/currys-pc-world-apple-watch-sales-uk/'), but no specific date was known at the time. With the announcement of the Apple Watch coming to John Lewis department stores, it appears that Apple's new wearable will launch at both locations on the same day, September 18. Thirty-seven of John Lewis' forty-four stores in the UK will be getting the Apple Watch, with four more confirming availability by Christmas.
Currys is a bit more proliferated in the UK than John Lewis, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores located in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. Both John Lewis and Currys will also provide online support for Apple Watch sales, with Currys letting customers put in a pre-order for the device ('http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/apple-smart-tech/smart-tech/smart-watches-and-fitness/smart-watches/551_4338_31984_267_xx/xx-criteria.html') on their website right now. As of writing, the John Lewis website just has a simple placeholder page ('http://internal/tab?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnlewis.com%2Felectricals%2Fapple%2Ffind-out-more-about-apple-watch%2Fc9200800064%3Frdr%3D1%26intcmp%3Deht_brand_Apple_Banner_Watch_100915&referrer=about%3Ablank&target=_blank') with information for customers about the new device.

The expansion of the Apple Watch has been growing since its launch in April, with Best Buy stores now widely selling the device -- and even AppleCare ('http://internal/tab?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrumors.com%2F2015%2F08%2F17%2Fbest-buy-applecare-september-13%2F&referrer=about%3Ablank&target=_blank') and a few of its accessories -- in the United States ('http://internal/tab?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrumors.com%2F2015%2F08%2F25%2Fbest-buy-accelerating-apple-watch%2F&referrer=about%3Ablank&target=_blank') and Canada ('http://internal/tab?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrumors.com%2F2015%2F08%2F14%2Fapple-watch-harvey-norman-australia%2F&referrer=about%3Ablank&target=_blank'). Fnac locations in France also began selling the Apple Watch ('http://internal/tab?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrumors.com%2F2015%2F08%2F20%2Fapple-watch-expands-france%2F&referrer=about%3Ablank&target=_blank') in late August. The recent confirmation of John Lewis and Currys locations joining in the support of selling the wearable device on September 18 will come just two days after the release of watchOS 2 ('http://internal/tab?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrumors.com%2F2015%2F09%2F09%2Fwatchos2-release-date-apple-watch%2F&referrer=about%3Ablank&target=_blank'), as well.

Article Link: Apple Watch Expands to John Lewis and Currys Stores in the United Kingdom ('http://internal/tab?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrumors.com%2F2015%2F09%2F14%2Fapple-watch-expands-united-kingdom%2F&referrer=about%3Ablank&target=_blank')
It seems to me that if Apple wants to sell more watches, rather than put it in more locations, they need to drop the price of this iPhone accessory down to $99 or so so it can be an impulse buy.

For $350, it needs to be an independent standalone device with a cellular radio.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KPOM Avatar
120 months ago
Well then I'm confused. Why wouldn't Apple sell the watch in stores where it already sells other Apple products? OK maybe it won't come to Walmart but places like Best Buy and Currys don't surprise me at all. What's the equivalent to John Lewis in the US? Is it more Nordstrom or Bergdoff Goodman/Barneys?
I'd say John Lewis is a step above Macy's in the U.S. It's not as high end as Bergdoff Goodman (that's Selfridge's).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
markfc Avatar
120 months ago
Do Apple UK have a clue what they're doing?

John Lewis I get, but Currys/PC World?

Did they learn nothing from John Browett???
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)