John Lewis has launched a repair service to rival Marks & Spencer offering a wider range of fixes at a faster pace.
From Monday, customers will be able to drop off their clothes in five John Lewis stores in Oxford, Liverpool, Cheadle, Milton Keynes and Welwyn for alterations and fixes. The majority of repairs will be done within a week.
The service, which John Lewis is trialling for 16 weeks, is being launched with Timpsons, the high street cobblers and tailors, and there are plans to roll out the service to all stores.
It will offer general repairs for minor rips, tears and seams from £10.95, trouser shortening from £17.95 and zip repair from £19.95. Full handbag restoration will cost £99.95.
Any brand of clothing will be accepted by the scheme, not just those stocked at the department store.
New revenue stream
It is the latest move from the struggling retail giant in its battle to take on the resurgent M&S, who are set to launch their own repair scheme in August.
Customers will be able to organise repairs through the M&S website, with prices starting from £5 for replacing a shirt button and £100 for a coat relining.
Rather than dropping items off in-store, customers will send clothes for repair by the post.
The Telegraph understands that Waitrose, which already offers dry cleaning in 191 of its shops, is looking into rolling out a similar scheme.
Kathleen Mitchell, the commercial director at John Lewis, 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.
“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.”
Gary O’Malley, the operations manager of the Timpson Group, said: “Since Covid, more people are getting original clothes altered rather than buying new.”
Mr O’Malley said that one team of 12 tailors could repair as many as 1,100 items every week.
Some of the stranger requests, Mr O’Malley said, have included a damaged tent, a leather chair, and a large pair of knickers whose owner wanted the waist to be adjusted.
He explained that the tailoring team received different items for repair depending on what time of the year it is, with winter jackets being sent in during the spring.
During the summer months, a popular item being sent in for repair is prom dresses, which have been ripped by stiletto heels.
Sustainable solution
The popularity of alterations has increased because more consumers are more concerned about sustainability, stylists said.