Boots Launches INNOVATE Agile Incubator, Powered by TCS PACE™ to Develop New Technology Ideas

Tata Consultancy Services is Helping Boots Accelerate and Scale its Innovation Program to Drive Competitive Differentiation

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) and Boots, a leading UK health and beauty retailer, announce the launch of the new INNOVATE workspace, powered by TCS Pace™, at the Boots headquarters in Nottingham. The new workspace is aimed at nurturing a start-up culture within the organization, helping Boots to uncover opportunities to leverage emerging technology.

INNOVATE was designed in collaboration with TCS to be an agile incubator, combining creative space with top talent and emerging technology, powered by TCS Pace, the company’s proven framework for innovation at scale. The TCS Pace Innovation Architecture provides co-innovation mechanisms for creative problem solving through Pace Sprints, digital toolboxes to enhance collaboration and rapidly design new experiences, technology sandboxes to develop Proofs of Concept (PoCs), and a physical workspace that brings together all these enablers. Using Pace, TCS has been helping clients accelerate and scale their innovation programs to build competitive differentiation.

Dedicated teams of intrapreneurs will leverage the INNOVATE philosophy and workspace to work on ideas that will help to make the retailer’s business more efficient and lead the way for new innovations in the industry. Operating in a rapid test and learn model that enables PoCs to be developed in just weeks rather than months, the workspace is designed to help teach and develop new capabilities, such as UX design and product ownership.

K Ananth Krishnan, CTO, TCS, said: “INNOVATE, powered by TCS Pace, is a world class innovation hub that leverages our research and innovation ecosystem to help Boots become future-ready. TCS is happy to partner with Boots to systematically conceptualize, build and test new technology and business ideas, and drive transformation in agile, iterative cycles.”

Rich Corbridge, CIO, Boots, said: “We are excited to be opening our much-anticipated INNOVATE workspace in partnership with TCS. INNOVATE offers the chance to revolutionise the way we think about technology at Boots and push the boundaries of what we can achieve with agile thinking and a fearless test and learn approach.

“The opportunity to be creative, solve problems and be seamlessly connected with our tech partners is key to positioning Boots at the forefront of innovation in the industry. I can’t wait to see how my Tech at Boots team as well as wider team members take advantage of the INNOVATE philosophy, workspace and the incredible ideas that will be conceived and evolved here.”