Department store John Lewis is coming to Croydon this autumn, creating up to 220 jobs at its new site on Purley Way.

The retailer is set to invest £7.5million in its “at home” store which will focus exclusively on furniture, accessories, electrical and home goods.

The store, which will open at the southern end of Purley Way, will be the second shop of its type in the country. John Lewis at home opened in Poole last October.

As well as the new store the retailer has said it is committed to a long term plan to open a department store in the town centre and continues to work with the council to bring this about.

John Lewis has previously been linked to Minerva’s failed Park Place development on St George’s walk.

Andy Street, managing director, John Lewis, said: “Our shop in Poole has performed above expectations since day one, and has given us the confidence to open in Croydon, extend our reach and attract new customers.

“We’ve identified 30 to 50 locations which would be suitable for the John Lewis at home format and fortuitously the opportunity arose recently to lease an empty unit on Purley Way. We’re thrilled to be bringing a John Lewis at home shop to Croydon which is a perfect fit for us in terms of location and catchment.”

The Croydon branch will span 52,000 sq ft, about a third of a size of a typical John Lewis department store. The shop will also feature a cafe, home design service, and purchasing from a Gift List.

Councillor Mike Fisher, Council leader, said: “Over the last few years we have built an excellent working relationship with John Lewis Partnership. Following the opening of Waitrose in our town centre last year, I am delighted that, subject to planning, John Lewis will be opening an ‘at home’ store in the borough.

“We hope that this will be a stepping stone towards a full line department store opening in our town centre at some point in the future. We particularly welcome the creation of over 200 new jobs with a quality employer to help kick-start our recovery from the recession. ”