John Lewis launches festive initiative to 'spread the cost of Christmas'

John Lewis has introduced a new festive initiative to help customers "manage Christmas costs as they suffer from the high cost of living".

The department store is inviting shoppers to buy festive items early to help them "spread the cost of Christmas".

The store has removed the £30 minimum spend threshold on its website for click-and-collect orders until 19 October, which allows consumers to make smaller order without paying the additional £2 charge for the service.

It has also extended its seasonal returns window. John Lewis customers can exchange or return goods purchased this week until 28 January, the first time John Lewis has done this in September.

The retailer said consumers are shopping early this year with the sales of its boxed baubles selling 10 times as many at the moment as a year ago, and Christmas tree sales are up by more than 37% on the year.

In addition, John Lewis is also launching a series of promotions across home, fashion and tech from October alongside its convenience initiatives.

Claire Pointon, John Lewis Customer Director told The Telegraph: "We want to be here for all life’s moments and, despite all the cost of living pressures, we’ve seen that our customers are still determined to celebrate Christmas and are buying earlier to help spread out the cost.

"We want to give our customers the peace of mind that items purchased in the run-up to Christmas can still be exchanged or returned after the big day."