The retailer is set to invest in Tech Hub outside London, creating highly-skilled digital jobs
LONDON, 2016-Mar-25 — /EPR Retail News/ — John Lewis has today announced it is setting up a new IT and digital operation in Birmingham, the first of its kind for the retailer.
The new Tech Hub, set to open this September in the city, will initially create four engineering roles. In addition, John Lewis will be working with a number of the local universities to establish part-time internship roles for young technologists, with recruitment to begin later this year.
The new Partners (staff) will focus on developing innovative new technologies and agile ways of working with the existing 500-strong John Lewis IT team. The Hub will be an integral part of John Lewis IT Delivery.
Paul Coby, IT Director, John Lewis, said: ‘Our new Hub in Birmingham is about putting innovation and agility at the core of our business. We chose Birmingham because of the opportunities it offers as a growing tech city with a wealth of skilled technology professionals and world class technical universities.’
One of the factors that led to choosing Birmingham was the opening of John Lewis’s 250,000 sq ft regional flagship shop, the anchor tenant of the Grand Central retail development, last September. As one of the largest John Lewis shops outside London, it is the business’ most innovative department store to date and Birmingham Partners will the first to trial new ways of working developed by the Tech Hub. In addition, regionally, John Lewis has a long established store in Solihull, an ‘at home’ shop in Tamworth and distribution centres at Magna Park. All of these locations can be used to pilot innovations developed in the new Birmingham Tech H.
Notes to editors
John Lewis – John Lewis operates 46 John Lewis shops across the UK (32 department stores, 12 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership and all 30,000 John Lewis staff are Partners in the business. John Lewis, ‘Best Clothing Retailer 2015’ , ‘Best Electricals Retailer 2015’ and ‘Best Homewares Retailer 2015’¹, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 280,000 products, and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products – home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover – delivering the values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.
¹ Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2015
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Enquiries
For further information please contact:
Laura Askew
Communications Manager, Online & Flagships
Telephone: 020 7798 3396
Mobile: 07711 561971
Email: laura.askew@johnlewis.co.uk