John Lewis Leeds department store has more ways than one to help you spend your day. It is a shopping and leisure area in Leeds city center. Victoria Leeds combines the 1990 Victoria, west of Vicar Lane and the 2016 Victoria Gate shopping center east of Vicar Lane. It includes a casino and major stores such as Harvey Nichols and John Lewis and Partners.

Victoria Gate

Victoria Gate needed to be designed as an extension of the Headrow, the city's main civic axis, and not as a "mall" but more a 21st-century extension of the existing Victorian arcades Quarter for which Leeds is famous. Built on an undeveloped site adjacent to Leeds Market, it finally opened on 20 October 2016. The center, fronting onto Eastgate, George Street, and Harewood Street, comprises a large multi-story car park, a flagship for the department store John Lewis, and a U-shaped arcade-like covered pedestrian area of shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Diamond-shaped latticework

Admire John Lewis' elegant architecture, featuring a white latticed concrete facade and an interior designed to reference Leeds' historic shopping arcades. The diagrid facade of the flagship, which is made from diagonal struts of etched concrete is the centerpiece of the Acme-designed complex. Internally, it features wide walkways paved with zig-zag patterned stonework, curving glass shopfronts, and a roof of latticed steel and glass that floods the space with natural light. Panes of glass set into the diagonal facade illuminate some area areas of the building, while bronze- and ivory-colored terracotta infills block the light in others. The building is connected to the arcades by a glazed link. "We have worked hard to create buildings that are specific to their place and time, and unmistakably a part of Leeds," said Acme director Friedrich Ludewig, who worked on the £165 million project.

A five-story shopping mall

The John Lewis building features five shopping floors and a rooftop restaurant, making it the tallest post-war department store in the UK outside of London. Every John Lewis employee takes pride in the service they provide and the knowledge that they share. Their Experience Desk is the perfect place to plan your day. Book an in-store service or sign up to one of their events to make the most of your visit. For example, Personal Stylists can help you find looks that work to create a wardrobe that's unique to you and a look you'll love to come home to. Visit Herbert Parkinson, their Lancashire textiles factory, where their skilled partners make made-to-measure, high-quality soft furnishings.

Shopping for a cause

John Lewis Leeds' charitable giving scheme, called "Community Matters," runs throughout the shops. Every three months each shop selects three community groups or charities to help. Customers decide how the money is shared between the charities by voting for the organization they'd like to support.