John Lewis is continuing to boost its already consider considerable fashion credentials and said it’s accelerating its ambition to be “the home of premium brands”.

It’s unveiled a new supplier platform to help it speed up the launch of new brands and John Lewis said the move “gives customers greater choice and access to the latest styles from trusted brands”.

Premium-to-luxury shoe and accessories retailer Russell & Bromley is among the first to join.

The company explained that the arrival of the “cutting-edge supplier platform… signals a significant evolution in how John Lewis works with suppliers, allowing it to be more agile in response to customers for in-demand brands”.

The platform is powered by tech firm Mirakl and is all about speed and ease with Joh Lewis able to quickly get brands in front of the end consumer both online and via its app. The direct-shipping model means the retailer doesn’t need to buy, store, and distribute stock. It said this “dramatically” cuts the time it takes for products to get online.

Rachel Morgans, Director of Fashion at John Lewis, said: “Our ambition is to be the definitive home for premium brands in the UK. This new platform is a huge step on that journey, giving us the agility to bring newness to our customers at speed. The launch of Russell & Bromley is the perfect example of this strategy in action and demonstrates the calibre of brands we are attracting.”

And it’s a good move for Russell & Bromley too, which is expanding its selective stockist portfolio across the UK and Ireland. CEO Andrew Bromley said that “the parallels between Russell & Bromley and John Lewis when it comes to customer service and quality make them an obvious choice for us”.

The move follows John Lewis recently rolling out ‘deliver from store’ with over 20 of its stores now part of the programme.