John Lewis launches furniture rental service

Customers will be able to rent from a range of John Lewis products including desks, chairs, dining tables and sofas for three, six or 12 months and have the option to buy them at any time.

The longer a customer commits to rent the item for, the cheaper the price per month.

The service will be operated by Fat Llama from its Flex Rental website, which already offers a range of electronics and tech goods for rent.

Fat Llama will deliver the John Lewis furniture pieces within two working days, help with set-up if necessary and collect the items at the end of the rental agreement.

John Lewis said that the service will initially be available in Greater London but could be expanded if demand is seen.

John Lewis director of home Johnathan Marsh said: “We want to make our products and services as compelling and meaningful to the next generation of customers and how they want to live. 

“Attitudes towards renting items and the sharing economy have dramatically shifted in recent years and we know that renting, reselling items and recycling them is a growing priority for our customers. 

“Renting furniture will give more customers access to our high-quality furniture as well as the latest designs. It also offers them the flexibility to enjoy living with a bold, trend-led piece of furniture that they may not want forever, to easily change style, size and type of furniture if they are moving to a new rental property, or just need a stylish desk to temporarily work from home. All with the peace of mind that they are making more sustainable choices.”

Fat Llama co-founder and chief executive Chaz Englander added: ”The world is changing. People are focusing more on access instead of ownership. As we have seen in the US, renting furniture instead of owning it is becoming the new normal for millennials; a generation that is moving house every 12 months.

“With this being our first step into furniture rental, it was important for us to find a partner that could supply high-quality furniture at scale. John Lewis could not have been a better fit.”