Through a dedicated online hub, M&S customers can now select and book a range of bespoke repair services - from zip replacements to invisible knitwear mending – all through one simple online form.
M&S shared that repairs start from just £5 ($6.56) and M&S clothing can be sent, repaired by SOJO's in-house repair team and returned directly to the customer's doorstep within seven to 10 days.
This new partnership between M&S and SOJO is supported by the £1m M&S Plan A Accelerator Fund as the retailer commits to investing in driving the circular economy. The Plan A Accelerator Fund aims to take rapid action on climate change through a series of innovation projects.
M&S explained it is streamlining all its circular initiatives under one umbrella, Plan A - ‘Another Life', which includes the new partnership with SOJO, its Beauty Takeback Scheme with Handle and its long-running clothes donation partnership with Oxfam, which was formerly called ‘Shwopping’). The aim is to offer a more seamless experience for customers who are looking for ways to support a shift to a more circular economy.
The Plan A - ‘Another life’ platform will be home to a selection of 60-second ‘how to’ videos covering everything from de-bobbling knitwear to adjusting hemlines - created by M&S’ team of in-house technical experts.
M&S managing director of clothing and home Richard Price said: "At M&S, exceptional quality products are at the heart of everything we do, and we want to ensure that all our clothes are too good to waste. Through the launch of our repair service, we’re making it even easier for customers to give their clothes Another life, whether they are using our new repair service or long-standing clothes recycling scheme."
Meanwhile, SOJO's founder and CEO Josephine Philips took to LinkedIn and declared the repair service was live on 22 August.
Philips wrote: "Any person across the UK can book a repair on their M&S clothing, powered by SOJO, and I couldn't be happier. As one of the biggest and most long-standing British brands, for them to bring a repair service to all of their customers is such a big step for us at SOJO and for the circular fashion industry as a whole.
"Every repair matters when it comes to our mission of extending the life of as many clothes as possible - and our tailors couldn't be more ready. Having been doing this for years, it's incredible to see that the repair industry is only going from strength to strength and that we're still just at the beginning. Here's to this big step on making repair mainstream."
In May, M&S' clothing and home sales jumped 5.3% during 2023/24 and like-for-like sales were up 5.2% with an industry expert noting its strategic buying and merchandising is attracting a younger audience on the hunt for both quality and variety.
