The retailer Next are reportedly planning to transform its online business operations in a bid to seek additional income streams in a post-coronavirus climate.
According to reports, the high street retailer is looking to adopt a new online platform called Total Platform, which would see it host the online operations for numerous other brands. Next current has £2 billion online operations in place, which consists of an e-commerce store that sells its own and other labels. However the new plan would mean it could taking a big step outside of its core business model and there isn’t any way of predicting the outcome of the decision.
Next has reportedly tested Total Platform via the Little Label website for upscale kidswear, and there is speculation it has already signed an unnamed retailer with turnover of around £30 million to the service already.
“The website will have their URL, it will look and feel like their website, they will design it, they will have creative control over it, but it will link into all the other elements of our platform in exactly the same way as our own website does, what that means is, not only will we run their website, but we will also do all their warehousing, distribution, returns, call centre work, customer credit, international sites, we will do absolutely everything that is involved with selling to customers.” – Simon Wolfson, Next – Chief Executive
