John Lewis has signalled its commitment to financial services provision by announcing its intention to launch a new John Lewis Finance brand. The brand will encompass John Lewis' growing range of financial services products – which includes insurance, foreign currency, international payments, the John Lewis & Waitrose Partnership Card and ATMs – and serve as a clearer signpost for new and existing customers.
As part of the initial phase of the launch in October, John Lewis will introduce a series of enhancements to its Partnership Card. These will include contactless technology for new and replacement cards, a new-look Partnership Card website and the launch of a mobile app that will enable customers to check their card balance, points and transactions while on the go.
In addition, new customers will soon be able to apply for and receive their permanent chip and PIN card in-store on the same day.
Mike Jackson, director, financial services, John Lewis Partnership, says: "We want all of our customers to know that when it comes to money matters, whether that's travel, insurance or everyday spending, we can support them with the big events in their lives and all the small moments in between. Considering the breadth of our current portfolio, we felt it was the right time to combine all of our financial services products under a single, umbrella brand as we seek to raise awareness and reach out to many more customers, offering them a greater range of products and greater value."
Over the next 12 months the company's full range of financial products will be integrated in to a new over-arching John Lewis Finance customer website.