Department store group John Lewis is to extend its furniture rental offer following a successful pilot.
From July, John Lewis will double the size of its range to 200 lines and offer furniture rental outside London.
During a rental trial in 2020 most products on offer were rented within 48 hours, John Lewis said, “highlighting the demand and changing attitude towards renting goods which would previously be bought”.
Two-thirds of those using the service were furnishing rented accommodation, and desks and office chairs were among the items most in demand as people worked from home during the Covid pandemic.
Reflecting hopes that easing of coronavirus restrictions will continue, John Lewis’ extended rental range will include goods such as sofa-beds for guests.
John Lewis Partnership futurologist John Vary said: ‘We’re seeing a real shift in consumer behaviour towards usership rather than ownership.
“The weak signals were already there pre-Covid, with the emergence of car-sharing schemes, hot-desking and services like Airbnb, but the pandemic has turbocharged this with a move towards sharing, reusing or trading within communities or groups - renting a dress or sofa is the modern-day equivalent of borrowing sugar from next door.”
Rent with an option to buy
John Lewis home furnishings head of buying Nicola Waller said: “Furniture rental offers quick convenience and fun without the commitment, allowing customers to live their bright mustard sofa dream for a year before returning it for someone else to enjoy.
“It is also a sustainable choice for our customers, and the expansion of our rental scheme reflects our ambition to offer more sustainable ownership options. It forms part of the commitment we made to our customers that all of our John Lewis product categories will have a buy back or take back solution by 2025.”
Customers can rent furniture for 12 months, and then have the option to buy it - rental payments are deducted from the price.
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