UK retailer Waitrose & Partners is testing a new store concept in Lincoln that provides customers the access to products and services of The John Lewis Partnership.
The trial project is part of the company's business plan to run the two brands as a single business.
The store will offer a tailored range of more than 1,600 John Lewis products including, gifting, homemaking, kitchen gadgets, cookware, dining, and seasonal lines.
The products will be available in integrated displays in the store alongside relevant Waitrose lines, as well as in a dedicated John Lewis area, the retailer said.
The services offered in the trial stores will include, among others, fashion and style talks, calligraphy classes, barista workshops, and photography courses.
'Combined Proposition'
Director of customer experience for Waitrose & Partners, Simon Burdess, said, "Our ambition is to bring both the John Lewis and Waitrose brands together to drive a stronger combined proposition for our customers and give shoppers even more reasons to visit our shops.
"The trial has huge potential to elevate the Partnership offer and our Partner expertise to change how both Waitrose and our customers see visits to the supermarket in the future."
Customers at the Lincoln store will be able to choose from a series of paid-for events, for up to 20 people, where Waitrose employees will share their expertise.
The retailer has set up a new community room in the store to host these events.
A Partnership Service Desk will allow customers to book free and paid-for events, make service bookings for made-to-order food, and pick up their click-and-collect orders.
The retailer will conduct a second trial at its Lymington outlet on 29 November, on a smaller scale, to understand how the format might be adapted for smaller shops within the retailer’s estate.
If the trails succeed, the retailer aims to roll out the concept in approximately 50 Waitrose outlets.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
