John Lewis has today (Monday 22 July 2024) announced a trial where customers can bring their beloved garments, accessories and a selection of homeware back to life through an in-store repair service.
From reviving your wedding dress, to restoring the zip on a luxury clutch or adjusting a pair of curtains, the service will offer repair and alterations, laundry, dry cleaning and more.
Launching in selected stores from 22 July, the service will accept any brand allowing customers to drop off items to be fixed, altered, cleaned or restored, and come back to collect them after they have been given a fresh lease of life for years to come.
John Lewis commercial director, Kathleen Mitchell, said: “Our customers come to us for fashion and homeware that’s well made and will last – and this just takes that mentality and service one step further. We want to help them extend the wear of their fashion items and have the option to bring those much-loved items back to life – whether they are hanging by a thread or just need a simple stitch or two.
“Teaming a new, crisp white linen shirt with a pair of much-loved denim shorts gives our customers the opportunity to extend the lifetime of their favourite wardrobe staples, for years to come.”
To launch the trial, John Lewis and Johnsons (part of Timpson Group) – two purpose-led brands known for their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction – are joining forces to bring their expertise for this new offering to customers.
Will Lankston, managing director, Timpson Direct, said: “We are really excited about working with John Lewis. Alterations have always been one of the core parts of our business and we have been seeing this increase over the past few years as more customers are conscious about the environment and are wanting to repair and bring back to life some of their well loved garments and accessories.
“Our service is well established within the industry and we have an excellent team of specialists who undertake all our work and take a real pride and passion in all that they do. We look forward to working with John Lewis on developing this service over the coming weeks and months.”
Extending a garment’s life by just nine months can reduce its carbon, waste and water footprints by up to 30%. Prolonging the life of clothing is a key pillar of the circular economy, and with more consumers embracing the culture of mending and repair, recent research found that more than a third of UK adults plan to increase household repairs, rather than buying new**. This is also the case with our customers, with nearly half seeing a lifespan guarantee to repair or replace any item as the most appealing added service.
The trial will launch in five John Lewis branches: Oxford, Liverpool, Cheadle, Milton Keynes and Welwyn.
John Lewis will learn what customers want during the 16 week trial – such as the type of services customers look for, type of garments most repaired and the demographics of customers seeking the repair service – in a test and learn approach.
The move ladders up to the Partnership’s revised strategy with a laser focus on providing a brilliant retail experience for customers, as well as forming an important part of our overall circular economy strategy.
