John Lewis prepares for take-off with store at Heathrow Terminal 2 John Lewis currently delivers online orders to 33 countries overseas, from the USA to Australia, and has a wholesale agreement to supply product to Shinsegae department stores in South Korea, but any plans to open physical stores overseas have been kept strictly under wraps. As long as five years ago, John Lewis was linked with opening stores in India. At the time, chairman Charlie Mayfield was also said to be exploring opportunities in the Gulf. So far the Partnership's international expansion has been driven by Waitrose, which has franchise stores in places such as Bahrain and the Channel Islands. The Heathrow John Lewis store will showcase the "best of home, fashion, gifting and seasonal ranges" and be located on the top floor of the the departure lounge. Some three-quarters of the range will be own-brand. Heathrow's current deals with World Duty Free and Dixons means the Partnership will be unable to sell either beauty or electricals. Sean Allam said overseas tourists make up around a fifth of the business at John Lewis' flagship Oxford Street store in London and at the very least the Heathrow outlet should drive online business. Analysts last night John Lewis' move reflected the increasing importance of airport retail as much as its own overseas ambitions. Nick Bubb, independent retail specialist, said: "More people are shopping at airports these days, you're getting the big luxury brands there and this move by John Lewis makes sense. As for overseas, if people like Debenhams can do it, then John Lewis certainly can. Verdict Research believes retail spend from overseas visitors will reach £9.7 billion this year, up 50.8 per cent on 2008. They expect it to soar by another 71 per cent by 2018. Honor Westnedge, senior retail analyst at Verdict, said John Lewis had the potential to become as much of a destination as Selfridges and Harrods. She said: "While it's premium department store competitors are key shopping destinatioons for overses visitors to the UK, John Lewis is relatively unknown outside of its domestic market. This makes its decision to open in Heathrow Terminal 2 a sensible move to improve brand recognition and ultimately drive footfall into mainline stoers and increase web traffic.