John Lewis Partnership boosts retail technology transformation push with Google Cloud tie up

John Lewis Partnership has announced a partnership with Google Cloud, worth £100 million over the next five years. This is an expansion of the relationship it has had with Google since 2012.

The collaboration is pitched as a significant step forward in John Lewis Partnership's digital transformation of its John Lewis and Waitrose brands, and its ambitions to provide customers with more tailored and personalised experiences.

Under the expanded agreement, more of the organisation's technology will migrate to Google Cloud, harnessing the cloud provider's latest offerings, including advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

The hope is that these tools will enable the John Lewis Partnership workforce, known as Partners, to be more efficient, spend more time focusing on customers, and better use data insights to help curate great products and services. 

The partnership will also support a pan-Partnership loyalty programme in 2024.

At our Oxford Street store, which houses @JohnLewisRetail and @waitrose, retail analysts heard about how our employee-ownership model and social purpose mean we act differently to conventional businesses and can take a long-term view. Learn more https://t.co/O0o6ylxjC1

— John Lewis Partnership News (@jlpartnership) July 6, 2023

Nish Kankiwala, Chief Executive Officer at John Lewis Partnership, says: "Investing in cutting edge technology is not just a choice, it's a necessity for a modern retailer like us. Core to our strategy is building our technology infrastructure for the long term, drawing on latest innovations to benefit our customers."

Zak Mian, Chief Transformation and Technology Officer at John Lewis Partnership, adds: "We've always been focused at finding better ways to do business. Today's announcement marks a significant step in transforming our technology, and ensures that our Partners have the best tools to provide our customers with even more personalised experiences, across all our channels.

"Imagine a world where a customer can use an image scanning feature in their John Lewis App to show our Home Design Stylists a room they're looking to furnish, which tells us all we need to know about the intricacies of the space, layout and measurements.’

“Not only does it save customers a lot of time and hassle, but even before the appointment we can take inspiration from their unique preferences and give tailored recommendations that can even complement products they already have. We're looking forward to an era of fresh innovation."

"As an innovative British retailer with a strong commitment to customer service, the John Lewis Partnership is always looking for new ways to reinvent how it does business," says Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud.

"By turning to our leading AI and ML tools, John Lewis will help transform the Partner experience, which in turn will deliver a better and more seamless experience for its customers."