John Lewis has extended its rapid delivery capabilities, teaming up with Deliveroo and Uber Eats to make ~10,000 products available for q-commerce.

The rapid delivery service will allow shoppers in catchment areas of eight stores across London and select Home Counties – including Oxford Street, Welwyn Garden City, Bluewater and Kingston – deliveries in as little as 30minutes. It said the move would further strengthen its omnichannel footprint, while integrating speed and convenience into its physical and digital retail offer.

Rapid delivery will now run alongside John Lewis’ standard delivery and nationwide click and collect network, giving customers an ultra-fast delivery option for last-minute needs. Data from its q-commerce trial showed urgent tech items, emergency gifts and treat purchases were among the most frequently bought items.

“Whether it is last-minute homeware for a dinner party, a gift for a friend or simply a spontaneous treat, our partnership with John Lewis [offers] a department store in your pocket,” Jeff Wemyss, General Manager for Deliveroo in the UK and Ireland, said.

“Retail on Uber Eats is skyrocketing as customers turn to rapid delivery for everything from emergency tech to gifts or treats, and we love bringing the modern magic of John Lewis straight to customers’ doors,” Merve Basci, General Manager for Uber Eats in the UK added.

This comes as the department store marks 25 years since johnlewis.com first launched its website, which now handles an average of 55,000 daily orders and generates an average of 1.6million daily page impressions.

John Lewis said it planned to continue to invest in its digital services as part of its multi-year £800m transformation programme. Readying itself for Peak Trading – when it expects to process up to 150,000 online orders a day – John Lewis is introducing a suite of digital enhancements across johnlewis.com and its mobile app.

The website will offer customers more content and inspiration, with upgraded site search helping shoppers quickly find items. This will include a brand-new AI-powered product finder, expected to launch in time for Christmas.

The app, which now accounts for approximately 40% of online sales, will enable easy access to My John Lewis rewards and a Live Chat function for added customer support.

Dom McBrien, Chief Digital and Omnichannel Officer at John Lewis, said that “by expanding our rapid delivery option alongside major website upgrades, we are giving customers ultimate convenience and flexibility without ever compromising on the service they expect.”