Exclusive: French Connection partners with Hirestreet to launch rental service

The high street retailer is the first major UK brand to operate a standalone rental option directly serving its customers from its existing site.

The technology and integrated operations to do this are provided by Zoa Rental, which was launched as a white-label rental-as-a-service offer by Hirestreet in 2021.

French Connection Rental offers customers the opportunity to rent dresses, holiday outfits and workwear for between four and 15 days, with prices starting at £10.

The collection will initially consist of 100 styles with a focus on events and weddings for this summer.

It will allow customers to rent individual pieces from the collection, as well as purchase items from the rest of the site, without the need for a subscription or separate account.

Hirestreet and Zoa founder and chief executive Isabella West said: “Growth in the rental market is outstripping traditional retail by 20 times, driven by consumer demand for sustainable, affordable fashion. This summer will be the biggest ever for rental in the UK.

“We are delighted to be supporting French Connection in the next stage of their rental journey. We first started working together via a Hirestreet partnership many years ago. Their stock has always performed very well in a rental model and launching their own-brand offer is a natural next step.”

Several other retailers have launched rental collections on the Hirestreet platform but French Connection is the first to offer items directly.

Marks & Spencer, Oasis and Nobody’s Child are a few of the names that have come on board with Hirestreet recently and could follow French Connection’s move to Zoa in the future.