John Lewis is trialling a new in-store clothes repair service, in partnership with the Timpson Group-owned retailer Johnsons.
Launching at an initial five stores on 22 July, customers will be able to drop off clothes to be repaired, undergo alterations or be dry cleaned at nearby Johnsons sites. They’ll then collect them from the John Lewis store once the work is complete.
“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,” said John Lewis commercial director Kathleen Mitchell.
“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.”
The five stores are Oxford, Liverpool, Cheadle, Milton Keynes and Welwyn. JLP has not set a timeline for whether it intends to expand the trial.
It’s the latest new initiative being rolled out by the retailer as it seeks to broaden its offer and attract customers back to its ailing department stores. In November John Lewis began adding health clinics to some of its stores in a new concessions partnership with Randox Health.
While the John Lewis Partnership returned to profit in March, almost all of the improved performance was down to improved footfall across Waitrose stores. Sales at John Lewis were down 4% on the year.
New John Lewis CEO Peter Ruis – who returned to the business in January – told The Times in June that the retailer would renew its focus on customer service, and has been renegotiating commission fees with fashion brands in order to boost staff numbers on the shop floor.
John Lewis has also been expanding its product offer, and plans to add up to 160 new manufacturers by autumn, including cookware by Stanley Tucci, The Telegraph reported.
To capitalise on increased shopper numbers at Waitrose, the partnership is also increasing the crossover between the supermarket and John Lewis brands, by expanding the number of John Lewis concessions within Waitrose stores.
“We are really excited about working with John Lewis,” said Will Lankston, MD at Timpson Direct.
“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,” Lankston added.
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