Lowe’s opens India innovation centre

Lowe’s Services India, a subsidiary of Lowe’s Companies US, has opened a Global Innovation Center in Bangalore, India.

Lowes, the world’s second largest home improvement retailer, says the centre will focus on “the next-generation customer experience”, by emphasising technology and analytics to provide customers with a more personalised shopping experience.

“This centre will work towards building a strong team to support Lowe’s efforts to become an omni-channel home improvement company,” the company said in a statement.

The new GIC is led by Narayan Ram, MD of Lowe’s India and will provide Lowe’s with a strategic footprint to leverage Bangalore’s potential for technology-led innovation, in addition to engaging India’s growing talent pool. The facility, spread over 110,000 sqft, expects to employ approximately 500 people by the end of 2015.

Robert Niblock, chairman, president & CEO of Lowe’s Companies, said,the centre will bring to fruition a valuable part of the company’s analytics and technology potential.

“We feel confident that with this strengthening of our presence in India, we will be able to provide more personalised experiences to customers, helping us continue our pace of strategic growth.”

Ram said the centre will employ the concept of ‘one team, multiple locations,’ as the company works across its global organisation to apply the power of analytics and technology to the Lowe’s business, “so customers can engage with us whenever and however they need support”.

“We are planning to invest even more in our local teams and innovate omni-channel retail, which underlines our commitment to delivering a consistent experience to the customer, however they choose to shop with Lowe’s.”

Lowe’s serves some 15 million customers a week in the US, Canada and Mexico at more than 1835 home improvement and hardware stores and online at lowes.com, lowes.ca and lowes.com.mx.