Next opens collection and return 'pods' in supermarket car parks

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 23, 2020

The most successful fashion retailers don't only focus on getting their designs right, they’re are also heavily focused on logistics and one of the most successful in the UK, Next, has unveiled a new initiative to help consumers get hold of their orders easily and then return them should they wish to.

It has linked up with supermarket giant Morrisons to test out new pods in supermarket carparks that are branded Next and are purely for picking up and returning orders from the company, Retail Week reported.

It has opened test pods in Leominster in Herefordshire and Canvey Island in Essex with the company operating them in areas where there are no Next stores in close proximity. The aim is to offer greater convenience for customers. 

Supermarkets have been seeking many more ways to make maximum profitable use of the large spaces they control and this has seen a number of initiatives, including concessions in stores, or collection points in deals with partner businesses. Meanwhile, large fashion and lifestyle retailers have also been focusing on food store link-ups to facilitate order collections and returns. John Lewis’s link with the Co-op is an example of that. Now the new Next-Morrisons trial is a further example of the trend.

Morrisons has linked with retailers in other sectors previously with plans unveiled late last year for two pods in its Carlisle branch for We Buy Any Car and Autoglass windscreen repair.