John Lewis rolls out repair service to all UK stores

John Lewis is rolling out its repair service to all UK stores this week, following a "hugely successful" trial that launched in just five stores in July 2024.

The service will continue to be in partnership with Johnsons, a Timpson Group company, offering fashion repairs, alterations, dry cleaning and handbag restoration.

Katie Papakonstantinou, Director of Services & Hospitality at John Lewis, said: "We’re so excited to bring this service to all John Lewis stores. John Lewis has always been committed to providing a brilliant retail experience for customers, and repair adds another dimension to that.

"The great thing about repair is it works for the old and the new. Whether you need something tailored to fit you better or want to give your mum’s old handbag a new life, we’ve made it easy to restore treasured products."

Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics & Sustainability for John Lewis Partnership, added: "We’re still learning about which circular economy models work, so it’s great when a trial delivers positive results and shows us how we can make it effective at scale.

"Repair is a crucial part of the circular economy and mirrors our commitment to designing items with quality and longevity in mind, as part of our circular strategy."

The most popular services from the trial were minor rip and seam repairs, indicating that customers are "looking to fix wear and tear of their beloved everyday items", as well trouser alterations for those looking for a better fit.

According to John Lewis, a major success of the initial trial was the restoration of a vintage Chanel bag to near new condition within days.

From today, 9 April, customers are able to drop off their much loved items to be cleaned, repaired or altered at their local John Lewis shop, and My John Lewis loyalty members will be able to claim 5% off all single repair services as a continuous offer.

Additionally, John Lewis is also seeing a trend of increasing interest in at-home repairs, with haberdashery accessories up 36% year-on-year and searches for John Lewis sewing machines up 50% year-on-year.

The retailer also says that the search for ‘pink sewing machines’ is up 255%, as customers look to purchase machines as gifts and prolong the life of their much-loved products at home.