The John Lewis Partnership has shortlisted six entrepreneurial firms for its JLab innovation programme, which is focused on transforming the bricks-and-mortar retail experience.
Over 160 new start-ups and established businesses entered the experiential retail challenge with the chance of being selected to develop their ideas with the partnership’s eponymous department store chain.
Eleven businesses, selected for their focus on exploring the new role for shops everyday lives, were then invited to pitch to a panel of 10 judges at John Lewis in Southampton. A group of customers and John Lewis employees also shaped the decisions made by the judges.
The ideas put forward ranged from a new way to navigate and explore larger shops using smartphones, to the latest beauty services in your home and even pioneering technology to create “urban allotments” within shops.
The six shortlisted firms have since been invited to continue discussions with JLab with the view to potentially work for the partnership in the future.
