Amazon has declined to unveil the commercial terms of its Counter partnerships or amount of investment in the initiative.
The leading e-commerce giant Amazon has reportedly partnered with the U.K. based clothing chain Next to offer a network of stores where the British customers of Amazon can collect their parcels. The company is looking to leverage from the growing popularity of click & collect services. For this move, it is offering delivery to hundreds of Next stores as an option on the tens of millions of items that it sells online.
Reportedly, the latest “Counter” service has been made available now to build on current parcel pick-up and locker facility of Amazon. In the U.K., there are more than 2,500 automated lockers offered by Amazon with its partners, including the Co-operative and Shell petrol stations, supermarket groups Morrisons.
Amazon reportedly noted that the new service will also be rolled out in Italy, where it has partners including the Fermopoint and SisalPay store chain and bookstore chain Giunti.
Patrick Supanc, Director of lockers and pick-up, Amazon, reportedly stated that the company considers it as a great way to create more convenience for customers and create a win-win situation for the retailers partnering with the firm. Amazon has been looking for more partners around Europe, from family-run corner shops to large retails chains.
The feedback from the Amazon’s earlier trials has shown that adding Counter to retail offer of a store has increased customer footfall.
Simon Wolfson, CEO, Next, reportedly stated that the aim of the company is that Amazon Counter will contribute to continued relevance and vibrancy of the stores in the tough retail environment.
Amazon has declined to unveil the commercial terms of its Counter partnerships or amount of investment in the initiative.
For the record, Next is one of the pioneers in click & collect in Britain. The company has been grappling with the structural shift of the sector from physical stores to online.
Source credit: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-deliveries-next/amazon-partners-uks-next-for-click-collect-service-idUSKCN1SK0JF