Aug

John Lewis launches furniture rental service for frequently moving millennials

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Young renters moving home every year are fuelling a demand for rented sofas and chairs, according to John Lewis, which has today launched a new furniture rental service.

Those wanting to relax on a statement sofa, or homeworkers looking for a stylish desk can now enjoy them without forking out the full price tag, as the department store chain has hooked up with rental site Fat Llama.

John Lewis reckons attitudes to renting products have shifted dramatically, while sharing sites like Airbnb have brought about a change in attitude to ownership.

Customers will be able to rent John Lewis furniture including desks, chairs, dining tables and sofas for three, six or 12 months and then have the option to buy them at any time with payments already made deducted from the purchase price.

The longer customers commit to renting, the lower the rental price; a Belgrave sofa costing £1,899, works out at £108 for six months, or £80 for a year.

Fat Llama will deliver the furniture within two working days and collect it at the end of the agreement, cleaning it and if needed, refurbishing it before it’s rented again.

Chaz Englander, Fat Llama co-founder and CEO, says 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,” he explains.

“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.”

The service kicks off in London but if it proves popular, could be rolled out across the UK.

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