John Lewis is taking another major step forward in its ambition to be the trusted home for premium brands, by investing in a new cutting-edge supplier platform designed to bring a wider range of hand-picked labels to its customers at speed.
The retailer is marking the launch by welcoming luxury footwear specialist Russell & Bromley as one of its first partners on the new system. The move signals a significant evolution in how John Lewis works with suppliers, allowing it to be more agile in response to customers for in-demand brands.
The platform, powered by market-leading tech firm Mirakl, enables John Lewis to accelerate the listing and sales of new brands online and via its app. The direct-shipping model bypasses the need for John Lewis to buy, store, and distribute stock, dramatically cutting the time it takes to bring new products to market. For customers, it means a greater selection of carefully chosen brands will become available more quickly through johnlewis.com.
Rachel Morgans, director of fashion at John Lewis, said: “Our ambition is to be the definitive home for premium brands in the UK. This new platform is a huge step on that journey, giving us the agility to bring newness to our customers at speed. The launch of Russell & Bromley is the perfect example of this strategy in action and demonstrates the calibre of brands we are attracting.”
Andrew Bromley, CEO of Russell & Bromley, comments: ”We’re thrilled to be partnering with John Lewis as we expand our carefully selected stockist portfolio across the UK & Ireland, and even more pleased to be part of their plans to enhance their already excellent customer experience. The parallels between Russell & Bromley and John Lewis when it comes to customer service and quality make them an obvious choice for us, and we’re delighted to be able to bring our iconic Russell & Bromley craftsmanship and designs to their customers.”
This follows on from the recent strengthening of John Lewis’ omnichannel capability with the rollout of ‘deliver from store’, enabling customers’ online orders to be fulfilled from store stock, and the current rapid delivery pilot with Uber Eats. Over twenty John Lewis stores are now part of the ‘deliver from store’ programme, resulting in increased product availability and sales.
Adrien Nussenbaum, co-founder and co-CEO of Mirakl added: “In a highly competitive retail environment, customers want more choice and flexibility than ever. John Lewis is positioning itself for significant growth in the years ahead, maintaining its position as an iconic British retailer while also modernising and becoming more agile. They are giving customers access to an expanding range of curated brands and products through a retailer they trust, and we’re excited to partner with them.”
