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Closed in March 2024, customers moved to Plusnet

John Lewis Broadband (archive)

John Lewis Broadband was a white-label ISP run on behalf of the John Lewis Partnership by Plusnet, which provided the underlying network, billing and call centre for the entire life of the brand. The Partnership wound the service down in March 2024 as part of a wider strategy to focus on John Lewis and Waitrose retail, and every customer was automatically migrated to a Plusnet account on the same Openreach line.

At a glance

Closed March 2024 Customers migrated to Plusnet White-label, always run by Plusnet No new sign-ups accepted

John Lewis Broadband closed in March 2024, customers migrated to Plusnet

John Lewis Broadband no longer exists as a brand. The service was always white-labelled from Plusnet, which now bills and supports every former customer directly on the same Openreach line. New customers cannot sign up to John Lewis Broadband. If you are looking for a new ISP today, see Plusnet or another Openreach-based provider.

Founded

~2014

Re-launched on the Plusnet network

Closed

Mar 2024

New sales ended late 2023

Successor

Plusnet

Same underlying line and network

Network

Openreach

FTTC and FTTP via Plusnet wholesale

About

What was John Lewis Broadband?

John Lewis Broadband was a UK home broadband and phone service sold under the John Lewis brand by the John Lewis Partnership, the employee-owned retail group that also owns Waitrose. The product was first launched on a different wholesale partner in 2010 and was re-launched on the Plusnet network around 2014.

Behind the John Lewis branding, the broadband, the phone, the router, the billing platform and the call centre were all Plusnet infrastructure. The Partnership did not own a single metre of fibre or a single switching device. The brand offered Plusnet-grade FTTC and later FTTP service over the Openreach network, repriced and rewrapped with the John Lewis customer-service ethos.

In late 2023 the Partnership announced it would wind the service down as part of a wider plan to focus on its core retail business. New sign-ups were closed first; in March 2024 the brand was fully retired and every customer was migrated to a Plusnet account on the same line, same speed and same contract terms.

Where to go next

If you used John Lewis Broadband, here are your options

Three alternatives most John Lewis Broadband customers will recognise. The first is the automatic one, your account has already moved there.

Direct successor

Plusnet

Plusnet powered John Lewis Broadband behind the scenes for the entire life of the brand. Every former John Lewis customer was migrated to a Plusnet account in March 2024 on the same Openreach line. Plusnet’s prices are slightly cheaper than the equivalent BT deal and its Ofcom complaints record is the best of the big four.

Premium Openreach option

BT

BT owns Plusnet, runs on the same Openreach network and sells the widest range of Full Fibre speeds (up to 900 Mbps). The router (Smart Hub 2) is genuinely good and the Stay Fast Guarantee pays out automatically if speeds drop. Pricier than Plusnet for the same line.

Bundled TV + broadband

Sky

If John Lewis Broadband appealed because of the trusted-retailer feel, Sky is the closest comparable big-brand alternative. Sky Broadband uses Openreach for the line, Sky Glass for TV and routinely tops Trustpilot for the bundled customer experience. Higher upfront cost on TV bundles.

Selectra expert note

Independent read, no commission shaping

John Lewis Broadband was a textbook example of a white-label ISP: a trusted retail brand on the front, someone else’s network and call centre on the back. For most of its life it traded fine because the underlying Plusnet service is one of the better-run ISPs in the UK. The brand never carried a true price advantage, though, and the John Lewis Partnership had no operational lever to pull when the economics of reselling someone else’s broadband stopped justifying the marketing spend.

If you were a John Lewis customer, the practical takeaway is simple: you are now a Plusnet customer on the same line, and Plusnet is a perfectly reasonable place to stay. If you want to shop around at your next contract renewal, the same Openreach line is sold by every major UK ISP, and the Selectra picks for value over the same line are Plusnet (cheapest, best Ofcom complaints record) and BT (top-end Full Fibre speeds, best router). For a bundled-TV alternative with the same retail-trusted feel, Sky is the closest comparable big-brand pick.

Last reviewed May 2026.

FAQ

John Lewis Broadband closure, your questions answered

Why did John Lewis Broadband close?

John Lewis Partnership closed the brand in March 2024 as part of a wider strategy to shed non-core retail-services lines. The partnership had been losing money for several years and decided to focus on its core John Lewis and Waitrose trading. Because the broadband service was a white-label resold from Plusnet, the closure was operationally straightforward: customers, prices and lines moved across without anyone losing connectivity.

Was John Lewis Broadband actually Plusnet?

Yes. From day one, the John Lewis Broadband product was a white-label of Plusnet running over the same Openreach lines. The price and the John Lewis branding were the only customer-facing differences. When the brand wound down, every customer was migrated to an equivalent Plusnet account so the underlying service continued without interruption.

I was a John Lewis Broadband customer, what do I have now?

You now have a Plusnet account on the same Openreach line, with comparable speed and price. The migration was automatic in March 2024 and required no action. Log in at plus.net or call Plusnet on 0800 432 0200. Your speeds and contract terms were honoured for the remainder of your minimum term.

Can I still sign up to John Lewis Broadband?

No. New sales were stopped in late 2023 and the brand was fully wound down in March 2024. The closest equivalent product today is Plusnet broadband, which uses the same network and call centre that powered John Lewis Broadband.

What is the best alternative to John Lewis Broadband in 2026?

For most former John Lewis customers, staying on the Plusnet line already migrated to your account is the easiest answer. If you want to shop around, the same Openreach line is sold by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and dozens of alt-net providers. Plusnet typically wins on price and Ofcom complaints; BT wins on top-end Full Fibre speed and router quality.