UK retailer John Lewis boosts AI capability with Google deal

People queue outside a John Lewis a store announcing a seasonal sale, in London, Britain, December 27, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

(Reuters) -British retailer John Lewis Partnership has agreed a five-year deal with Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud, enabling it to harness the latest artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology.

The employee-owned partnership, which runs John Lewis department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain, said on Wednesday the new agreement, which builds on a decade-long relationship with Google Cloud, was worth 100 million pounds ($127 million).