Debenhams in Bristol is turning its ground-floor cafe into flexible working space in a bid to drive more people into the store.
The high street giant has teamed up with agile working company Dispace to pilot the scheme in its Insomnia Coffee shop in Broadmead.
Under the agreement, the cafe will be used by Dispace members, who will be able to work there and get discounts on food.
The cafe will also remain open to members of the public.
Sam Shutt, head of external business at Debenhams, said: “We welcome the opportunity to work with the dynamic team at Dispace and to support them with bringing to life such an innovative service.
“As well as giving our new and existing customers even more reasons to visit our stores, this is an exciting opportunity to promote our branded food partners and facilitate how a growing flexible work force wants to operate.”
Dispace is piloting the scheme in Debenhams' stores in Cardiff and Bristol, with a view to a broader roll-out across the retail estate.
Ross Cox, founder of Dispace, said: “It brings a new perspective to the use of space in city centre retail outlets so that busy professionals can work wherever they need to.
“As well as opening up productivity to workers, Dispace is also good news for Debenhams itself, helping the stores to drive footfall and revenue in quieter times and bringing in completely new customers.
"Our collaboration with Debenhams will be beneficial for both users and the stores themselves; users will have fresh reasons to visit and the stores can look at broader opportunities to cater for the new influx of Dispace members."
Dispace already operates in cities including Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Leicester and Nottingham.
"Freelancers, contractors, homeworkers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, the 'on-the-road' workforce of larger organisations and businesses seeking innovative overflow space - they are all welcome at Dispace venues," added Ross.
"Ultimately, we’re giving them on-demand facilities wherever they are located, supporting them in their business through events to develop relationships within the Dispace network, and access to tools and services to drive productivity."
