John Lewis will almost double the size of its click and collect network in partnership with the Co-op as it makes shopping with it more convenient for a fast-growing cohort of online shoppers
The department store, ranked Elite in RXUK Top500 research, is to expand its click and collect service to 500 branches of the Co-op – almost doubling the number of locations where shoppers can pick up their shopping.
As a result, the department store’s customers will be able to pick up their online orders at nearly 900 click and collect points in the UK. The move is part of the retailer’s strategy of making it more convenient for shoppers, now making more of their purchases online, to buy from it.
Andrew Murphy, partner and executive director of operations at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we’ve seen a significant shift to online shopping and expect this trend to continue. As a result we are dedicated to providing more choice when it comes to how our customers receive their purchases.”
He said expanding collection and return services helped customers in more communities to buy from it in convenient ways. “Our customers love the ease and convenience click and collect provides which gives us the confidence to continue to invest in this area,” he said. “Building on our already successful partnership with the Co-op, this extension will allow us to offer our click and collect service to double the number of locations across the country, enabling us to reach more of our existing loyalty customers while engaging with new ones too.”
Before today’s announcement, shoppers could already collect their John Lewis orders from 105 branches of the Co-op and that number will expand by a further 400 by the end of September. They can also pick up orders from John Lewis’ 42 shops – once they have reopened – 326 branches of Waitrose, and 12 branches of Booths. John Lewis said last week that it was to close eight shops, of a previously 50-strong estate, in a move that puts 1,300 jobs at risk.
Mark Matthews, director of innovation and format at Co-op, said: “With our stores located at the heart of local communities, choice, ease and convenience is at the very core of our approach. We continue to look for new ways to innovate and expand access to products and services conveniently – by working together we can offer further flexibility and choice to meet consumer needs locally.”
