John Lewis slashes returns policy, blames product newness

The new policy has taken affect, although the department store chain is offering a grace period and will communicate the shift via receipts, parcels and at the point of sale.

A John Lewis spokeswoman said: “Our 35 day, no quibble returns policy for unwanted items, which we’re introducing this week, will be one of the best returns policies of all UK retailers.

The department store chain reported positive Christmas trading, but chairman Charlie Mayfield warned that all of retail faced a tough 2017

“Before we made the change, we asked our customers about our policy and found that over 85% were unaware of our policy for unwanted items and over 90% of customers who change their mind about a product bring it back within 35 days.

“Today, our product ranges – particularly clothing – change much more frequently than they used to and bringing items back once products are out of stock can lead to disappointment.

“In addition, customers can now return a John Lewis product much more easily at over 400 locations across the UK.”

The department store chain reported positive Christmas trading, but chairman Charlie Mayfield warned that all of retail faced a tough 2017.

Mayfield said that trading profit was “under pressure”, and that John Lewis staff faced a signifcantly lower bonus this year.

He added: “This reflects the greater changes taking place across the retail sector. We expect those to quicken, especially in the next 12 months as the effects of weaker sterling feed through.

“This will involve a period of significant change, investment and innovation, to ensure the partnership’s success.”