John Lewis

John Lewis said the move was part of its strategy to leverage its supply chain and reach more customers

The Co-op has agreed a new deal to offer a John Lewis click & collect service in its stores.

The initial trial will be in six Co-op stores, including the store in its Angel Square HQ in Manchester. The other five sites are Manchester Piccadilly and Trent Bridge Nottingham as well as three London stores – Dulwich-Lordship Lane, Westhorne Lane and Hither Green.

John Lewis said the move was part of its strategy to leverage its supply chain and reach more customers in areas it has a lower store presence.

Customers will be able to access next day click & collect at the stores as well as return orders.

The move follows a similar trial between John Lewis and Booths which launched last year and is now available in eight of the upmarket retailers’ stores.

“Our click & collect service is growing in popularity every year as our customers benefit from the ease of being able to pick up their order at a time and place which is convenient to them,” said John Lewis & Partners head of customer fulfilment operations Eva Cullen.

“We are always looking for new ways to be more convenient for our customers and to reach new customers, and the success of this trial would present the opportunity to roll out the service to more shops.”

Co-op director of innovation and format Mark Pettigrew added: “It is all about creating ease, convenience and choice for today’s time-pressed shopper. This is an exciting development – innovations and new technologies are driving a number of initiatives and creating value in our communities through increased offers and services for our members and customers.”

Last week the Co-op also announced it had embarked on a trial to supply a 40-strong food-to-go range into seven Superdrug stores.