In a bid to improve staff visibility within its fashion department, John Lewis plans to charge third-party brands a lower rate of commission in exchange for providing more staff to work in their concessions.

The retailer’s new executive director, Peter Ruis, wants to usher in a “Selfridges-style” approach of highly attentive customer service to continue the revival of its fortunes, reported The Times.

The aim is to recreate some of the sales culture from John Lewis’s beauty halls around the rest of the store. Ruis is said to believe that staffing levels have been pared back too far on the shop floor.

John Lewis said its research suggests that increased staffing levels could boost sales in concessions by double-digits.

Ruis, the ex-Jigsaw chief who also previously worked at John Lewis itself and at M&S, said his plans were broadly supported by its third-party brands.

“They want to have staff in the shops who are specialists with each brand. That’s welcome because the staffing levels aren’t adequate at the moment,” said the boss of one unnamed brand.

However, the success of the plan clearly depends on how far the commission rates fell. John Lewis commissions, typically 40%-50%, are among the highest in the industry.