First insight boss for Waitrose and John Lewis

The John Lewis Partnership has appointed its first joint customer insight director to work across the John Lewis and Waitrose brands.

Waitrose John Lewis
Waitrose and John Lewis in first co-branded ads.

The John Lewis Partnership has appointed its first joint customer insight director to work across the John Lewis and Waitrose brands.

Paul de Laat, former Lloyds Banking Group director of customer value management will join the retailer on 2 January and report directly to group chairman Charlie Mayfield. He has held similar roles at Thomas Cook, O2 and Vodafone.

The retail group hopes to increase its insight capabilities and make better use of shopper behaviour data to turn it into “actionable knowledge” across both businesses.

De Laat will work with both Waitrose and John Lewis’ strategy and marketing teams.

Both retailers have launched their first loyalty schemes in the last year and John Lewis marketing director Craig Inlgis has previously told Marketing Week that there is an opportunity for them to work more closely together.

The move follows the first co-branded Waitrose John Lewis advertising campaign last week to promote the opening if a new joint store.

Mayfield says: “[Paul] brings a wealth of experience and expertise and will be a valuable addition to our team, working closely with both John Lewis and Waitrose. Customer insight is an increasingly sophisticated area and a central part of part of modern retailing. Paul’s appointment to this newly-created role demonstrates our commitment to understand every aspect of our customers’ shopping behaviour, across both John Lewis and Waitrose, so that we can enhance the service we offer to customers.”

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