"UK: John Lewis to open "Little Waitrose"
Andy Street, managing director at John Lewis, has revealed the store will be used as a test case to see how the "brand new concept" could be introduced at other shops across the UK.
Street said: "We are committed to making the shopping experience as seamless as possible. By working closely with Waitrose, our customers will now be able to buy products from both brands in a convenient and efficient way".
The convenience store-style format of "little Waitrose" was launched two years ago, with Waitrose retail director Rob Collins crediting the format with bringing the Waitrose brand to new audiences.
Although Waitrose and John Lewis are sister brands, there has always been a degree of tension between the two independently run businesses, which bubbled to the surface with a conflict over their differing Christmas ad strategies.
However, the brands are increasingly co-operating on an operational level, with initiatives including Waitrose offering John Lewis fashion and furnishings in its "Waitrose Food, Fashion & Home" store in Canary Wharf, east London.
Source: marketingmagazine.co.uk
