Building goods retailer Travis Perkins has announced the launch of its new BreakThru programme, helping startup businesses grow through mentorship and investment.
The group, which includes 22 brands including Wickes and Toolstation, has launched the accelerator programme in order to work with startups that can aid improvement in areas like health and safety, digitalisation and customer service within the company.
Pioneered by the group’s chief digital officer Cheryl Millington and run in collaboration with L Marks, BreakThru will allow startups to work alongside Travis Perkins for 11 weeks to develop ideas with the help of senior mentors and experts.
Successful candidates will have access to Travis Perkins‘ network of 22 businesses and 2000 branches.
They‘ll also have opportunities to pitch for investment and run pilot tests of their ideas.
READ MORE: 600 staff affected by plans to close 30 Travis Perkins branches
“We are very excited to launch our first accelerator programme at Travis Perkins,” chief executive John Carter said.
“Our goal is to provide a seamless customer experience through harnessing the latest innovations and ideas brought by startups.
“We hope the startups who join us can challenge us internally, while we also hope to provide them with the expertise and support to take their product or solution to the next level.”
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