John Lewis & Partners is going big on private-brand apparel at fast-fashion prices.
The British retailer is expanding its private label value brand Anyday into men’s wear, women’s wear and children’s wear. Arriving on floor sets on Monday, he new fashion assortment will expand the Anyday product line by 53 percent, or over 3,600 additional items.
In addition to the new fashion items, the retailer will also expand its existing Anyday home, technology and nursery line, as well as add up to 300 Anyday products from children’s wear, cookshop, nursery and home office in over 120 Waitrose shops at the end of September.
This marks a significant investment since John Lewis’ April launch of the Anyday line, a range of in-house products focused on quality and style at value prices.
“The products will be our most affordable to date and have been designed for and around our customers’ lives, whether they’re shopping for their first home or want to make their home more stylish. Anyday prices are on average 20 percent lower than our current own brand prices, with some as much as 40 percent cheaper and each piece has been carefully designed so that form and function sit alongside quality and style,” the retailer said at the time.
In April, John Lewis cited customer research showing 60 percent of U.K. adults describe their heightened attention to money consciousness since Covid, one key factor behind its decision to modernize with the private-label brand.
“Anyday continues to be a stepchange for us, modernising John Lewis, bringing inspiration and quality to a wider audience. Sales and customer feedback since our Spring launch has been brilliant, our customers have described it as modern, vibrant, inclusive and accessible. I am excited about our home newness launching and I can’t wait to introduce fashion this season alongside our other own brands and cherished brands,” Pippa Wicks, executive director at John Lewis, said of the line’s foray into fashion. “Our fashion customers are optimistic and open-minded in their outlook, they look for unique, sustainable, trend driven products at a great price and I truly believe Anyday offers all of this to them.”
The retailer said that, as with its home launch, product designers responded to customer feedback in developing the Anyday fashion range. They wanted “top up” ranges for children and streamlined essentials that are “seasonal must-haves” for adult fashion offerings featuring affordable, on-trend styles to wear now.
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The 700-piece fashion range was conceived by the in-house team, led by Iain Ewing, John Lewis’ head of design. Each piece in the range maintains the John Lewis promise of quality and trust, with all cotton meeting Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) standards. Where possible, polyester is 100 percent recycled and the viscose is Ecovero, which it described as the most sustainable form.
“His team designed the range around key shifts in our attitudes towards clothes and the evolving way in which we are living our lives. The notion of ‘two-mile wear’ was key; casual clothing that’s comfortable enough to wear at home and stylish enough to venture out in, moving us seamlessly from inside to out,” the retailer said.
The women’s wear collection was designed around longevity, style and inclusivity, John Lewis said. Value pieces include mix and match cargo styles, leggings, knitwear and sweats. The Autumn/Winter line includes seasonal piece, such as a puffer coat, Chelsea boots and hiking boots, in addition to active leggings, tops, low-impact bras, quilted totes, belt bags, and a sleep collection. Lingerie and thermal layers round out the women’s offerings in the line, where items on average range from 12 pounds to 59 pounds ($16.52 to $81.21).
The men’s wear collection reflects contemporary casual trends in colorways that allow outfits to be styled in tonal color blocks, or head-to-toe in one shade. Color-blocked fleeces and sweats reflect the Autumn/Winter season. Basics include sustainably sourced cotton tees, a lightweight ripstop anorak, a relaxed fit trouser, and a puffer coat using recycled wadding. Price points range from 9 pounds to 95 pounds ($12.40 to $81.21).
While baby and toddlers, from newborn to four years old, were part of the initial Anyday launch, the extended children’s wear line now includes kid’s wear from ages two to 12 years old. Onesies and print sleepsuits are key options for babies, while puffer jackets and t-shirts are key offerings for children age two and up. Included in the offerings are unisex pajamas, hats, gloves and underwear. The average range for the price points are between 5 pounds and 20 pounds ($6.88 to $27.53).
The new home collection will offer and expanded selection of sofas and arm chairs with 16 new designs and new smart storage solutions for working and living. Philippa Prinsloo, head of home product design, touted the line’s new Shelf Sofa, which incorporates storage at its base, and the Fern Wall Desk as popular items to meet consumers’ new hybrid way of living.
“Design and style are at the forefront this season, with colour and pattern more prominent than before. On-trend materials, such as boucle and rattan, are prominent in the range that offers easy touches to modernise and elevate a room,” John Lewis said, adding that 698 new home products were added to the collection for the new season. In addition to new mirrors, cushions and pendant light fixtures, glassware and table linens are expected to be popular as consumers entertain at home.
The retailer said in April that the new value line was “a critical element of our turnaround strategy, which aims to grow market leadership across homeware, technology, baby care and baby clothing.” The company, like other retailers, faced financial challenges coming out of the pandemic that forced the store closures, job cuts and shifting store square footage to office space.