Rent the Runway freezes new subscriptions due to supply chain issues

The clothing subscription specialist’s co-founder and chief executive Jenn Hyman emailed customers in the US over the weekend, after many had complained of a lack of stock and late order deliveries.

Hyman said Rent the Runway would not be taking on new subscribers or new event rental orders until October 15 and advised existing customers to order “a few days in advance of your normal schedule”, according to CNBC.

It has also been reported that the business has been forced to return money to disgruntled customers who never received their orders.

Hyman said: “The delays, which began September 13, are due to unforeseen issues associated with a significant software transformation that we are executing in our fulfilment operation. Our technical team is working to fix these issues as quickly as possible.

“We expect this upgrade to be completed by October 15 or sooner, at which point you will experience much improved availability of styles.

“So that we can focus entirely on you, our current customers, while we fix these issues, we will not be accepting new subscribers or new event rental orders to be delivered before October 15.”

Last week it emerged that Rent the Runway’s head of supply chain, Marv Cunningham, would be stepping down from the business amid the turmoil.

Rent the Runway hit the $1bn (£805m) valuation milestone earlier this year and won a number of high-profile backers, including Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s Blue Pool Capital, Franklin Templeton Investments and Bain Capital Ventures.