John Lewis said it is set to launch a ‘dress for hire’ rental service after partnering with Hurr, the clothing and accessories rental business.
Under the scheme, the department store group said it aims to “encourage a more sustainable way of shopping”.
Customers will be able to loan several brands currently available across John Lewis stores as it looks to keep shoppers with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, according to the Retail Gazette.
In September, the retailer announced its first half pre-tax losses widened to £99mln, up from £29mln the year prior.
John Lewis attributed some of the increased loss to cost inflation not being passed on to customers as well as the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
Minimum rental fee is £20, with consumers able to rent an outfit for four, eight, 10 or 20 days, according to Retail Gazette.
Items will arrive with a return bag and a pre-paid label to be sent back to Hurr, which will have the items cleaned.
This is not the first rental service the retailer has launched.
In 2020, the group launched a furniture rental service, while in May this year it announced a subscription service for rented children’s clothes in partnership with Thelittlelopp, a children’s rental platform.
“John Lewis Rental allows our customers to experiment with fashion they love without it having to cost the earth,” said John Lewis’ executive director Pippa Wicks.