UK Retailer, John Lewis, moves into preventative health and exercise prescription with 'Every Athlete' programme

UK-based retailer, John Lewis, is launching a service which will enable customers to be proactive about managing their health, while also getting advice about exercise and nutrition.

The company, which already offers access to opticians and advice to expectant parents, has teamed up with health diagnostics outfit, Randox Health, to offer the preventative health service.

Customers will be able to get tests for gut health, fertility and hormone health, as well as genetic screening, while add-on services will deliver options to help them optimise their physical activity, training and performance.

A number of health programmes packages will be available, including:

Everyman and Everywoman

Delivers up to 150 data points linked to key health areas, summarised in a personalised health plan with retesting after six months.

The Signature health programmeDelivers on 350 data points, includes genetic testing, a GP consultation and retesting after six months.

The Every Athlete programme

Gives consumers key health insights to help optimise their training and nutrition for maximum performance.

Prior to their consultation, customers will be asked to complete a medical and lifestyle questionnaire and once samples have been analysed, they'll be sent a diagnostics report within 2-5 working days. This will include their results, an interpretation of the findings and advice on next steps. The results can be shared with other medical professionals.

Executive director of John Lewis, Naomi Simcock, says the partnership will help customers be more pro-active in managing their health: “As trusted stores for local communities, we can play an important role in making services such as healthcare and wellness more convenient and accessible,” she said.

Randox Health supplies hospitals and healthcare providers worldwide, as well as having a network of 20 clinics across the UK and a mission to improve consumer access to preventative diagnostics. It's the largest diagnostic company in the UK.

MD, Dr Peter Fitzgerald, believes the tie-up with John Lewis will improve accessibility to healthcare prevention and wellbeing services for consumers, saying: “Our comprehensive testing packages, using Randox’s unique technologies and data analytics, provide the foundation for individuals to take greater control of their health and optimise the potential to live well for longer.”

Appointments will be available at the High Wycombe store before Christmas and at Bluewater and Cheltenham stores in January, as the new service begins its roll-out.

John Lewis is the UK's biggest employee-owned business, with around 74,000 employees, who are known as partners, owning 100 per cent of the company.

People at all levels, from shelf stackers to senior corporate staff, receive the same percentage of their annual salary as a bonus.

The company has a constitutionand a happiness ethos.

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Operators in the health and fitness industry are also venturing into diagnostics, with US operator, Life Time, announcing the launch of a new medical wellness brand, Miora, this month, offering lifestyle lifestyle and performances services.

The Miora customer journey starts with a battery of diagnostics with 95 indicators checked via a blood panel, followed by the deployment of a proprietary cloud-based precision health assessment protocol called the Metabolic Code.

This checks how far people are from optimum health to determine how their body is performing. It also shares insights into the future state of health, before recommending interventions.

This system has been designed and developed by Life Time’s partner, Dr Jim LaValle, a clinical pharmacist and certified clinical nutritionist who’s known for his expertise in personalised integrative therapies.

Read more about Miora here.