John Lewis-Google link; Nobody’s Child-Just a Group deal; Hervia CEO exit; Pandora UK results

John Lewis has announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud, worth £100 million over the next five years. It “represents a major expansion of the successful relationship it has had with Google since 2012”. It means more of the organisation’s tech will migrate to Google Cloud, “harnessing the cloud provider’s latest and most innovative technologies”, including advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to enable the workforce “to be more efficient, spend more time focusing on customers, and better use [of] data insights to help curate great products and services”. 

Nobody’s Child has named Just a Group as partners from SS24, supplying independent fashion boutiques in the UK. The initial wholesale campaign begins this month for three weeks. The brand will be distributed by Just Now Distribution Ltd, and sales to retailers will be handled by the group’s sales division from its showroom off Brick Lane, London. A dedicated team has been put in place to support the new venture and the first deliveries to the market will begin in February. The initial collection will comprise 80 pieces.

The founder of luxury fashion retailer Hervia has stepped down as CEO with Oscar Pinto-Hervia pursuing “new opportunities”. The 30-year-old retailer, which was the first to stock Alexander McQueen, was acquired by investor Rami Cassis’s Parabellum Investments last year. It now stocks labels such as Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Y-3, Maison Margiela, and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy. Pinto-Hervia still held a stake in the business when it was sold and it’s unclear whether this remains the case. A successor hasn’t been announced.

Profits at the UK and Ireland arm of jewellery giant Pandora were down in 2022 despite higher sales . This was due partly to a very competitive UK market still recovering from Covid, but particularly to higher costs. Its latest accounts filing showed turnover, gross profit, and operating profit all higher but heavy costs meant the final profit figure fell 23.5% to £44.1 million.