John Lewis has partnered with Timpson on a repair service

The repair service will be trialled over a period of 16 weeks in five John Lewis stores including Oxford, Liverpool, Cheadle, Milton Keynes and Welwyn.

Launching today, services will include mending, restoring and dry cleaning among others and any brand of product will be accepted.

John Lewis said that it will gain an understanding of what consumers want during the trial, including the most popular service, the type of garments being sent in for repair and the customer demographics of those using the service.

The department store chain added that the partnership with Timpson brings “expertise” for the new offering to shoppers due to both brands being “known for their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction”.

The news comes as more than a third of UK adults plan to increase household repairs instead of buying new, according to Aviva. 

The Waste and Resources Action Programme has reported that extending the life of a garment by nine months can reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by up to 30%.

John Lewis commercial director Kathleen Mitchell 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.

“We want to help them extend the wear of their fashion items and have the option to bring those much-loved items back to life – whether they are hanging by a thread or just need a simple stitch or two.

“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.”

Timpson managing director Will Lankston said: “We are really excited about working with John Lewis. Alterations have always been one of the core parts of our business, and we have been seeing this increase over the past few years as more customers are conscious about the environment and are wanting to repair and bring back to life some of their well-loved garments and accessories.

“Our service is well-established within the industry and we have an excellent team of specialists who undertake all our work and take a real pride and passion in all that they do. We look forward to working with John Lewis on developing this service over the coming weeks and months.”

The key-cutting and shoe-repair specialist hit headlines earlier this month after former chief executive James Timpson was named prisons minister by new prime minister Keir Starmer.

Timpson is well-known for his efforts to employ ex-offenders to work at Timpson Group in an attempt to rehabilitate them.