The John Lewis Partnership, which oversees retailer Waitrose and is the largest employee-owned company in the UK, announced it has entered into a £100m agreement with Google Cloud.
The company says it hopes to give consumers “more tailored and personalised experiences” by expanding its digital offerings. John Lewis says it will leverage data analytics from machine learning and artificial intelligence to better serve its employees and shoppers.
“Investing in cutting edge technology is not just a choice, it’s a necessity for a modern retailer like us,” Nish Kankiwala, Chief Executive Officer at the John Lewis Partnership, said. “Core to our strategy is building our technology infrastructure for the long term, drawing on latest innovations to benefit our customers.”
John Lewis will shift additional technologies and resources toward the Cloud to increase experiences for consumers both in store and online. It says its partnership with Google that it has developed over the past decade has helped it generate more interest. Last year, it invested in 150 new digital first roles within the company as it prepared to further transform the business.
One of its goals in 2024 will be to launch a “pan-Partnership” loyalty programme.
“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,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “By turning to Google Cloud’s 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.”
