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 (Caution)

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Will Reportedly Be More Cautious About Announcing New Features Well in Advance

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:50 pm PDT by
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. The pair of reporters revealed this noteworthy tidbit towards the bottom of a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today. This alleged change in strategy comes after Apple was forced to delay its more...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...

Top Rated Comments

Unggoy Murderer Avatar
126 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
126 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
126 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
126 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
126 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
126 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)