Never Knowingly Undersold returns for the modern age

• John Lewis reaffirms its commitment to customers on quality, service and price
• Never Knowingly Undersold reimagined for how customers shop today – price matching 25 major UK retailers in store and now online with the help of AI technology
• Thousands of products will be price matched to ensure customers get the most competitive prices

John Lewis has today reaffirmed its commitment to customers on quality products, brilliant service and competitive prices with a refreshed brand promise to reflect how customers shop today. 

Never Knowingly Undersold is to be reimagined from next week (Monday, 9 September), giving customers the John Lewis assurance on quality, service and price, with a promise that matches prices in store and now online with 25 retailers including Amazon (on technology), AO.com and M&S.

A new brand campaign will be launched nationally from 19 September, featuring actor Samantha Morton and music artist Laura Mvula, celebrating 100 years of Never Knowingly Undersold. 

The Never Knowingly Undersold brand promise was a hallmark of customer trust in John Lewis for nearly a century. It was paused two years ago after customers told us the price promise was too complicated and the exclusion of online retailers did not reflect how they were shopping. 

In a recent survey of 5,000 customers, three quarters of them told us that a modernised version of Never Knowingly Undersold would improve their feeling of getting good value for money at John Lewis.

Following a multi-million pound investment, an improved and simplified price promise will use AI technology to check prices at 25 online and high street brands*. If the price is lower, they will then be matched by John Lewis. The move gives customers peace of mind that they're getting great value - with money back if they find it cheaper at one of those 25 brands within seven days. 

This gives customers assurance across thousands of branded items whether shopping in store or online. The new Never Knowingly Undersold will be supported with John Lewis’ biggest ever marketing campaign.

Never Knowingly Undersold is one element of a comprehensive ongoing investment plan to excite John Lewis customers: 

Price

• Price matching – proudly bringing our prices on branded goods into line with the online and bricks-and-mortar retailers.
• Reimagining our old price promise for the modern age with simpler T&Cs, and the inclusion of online-only players such as Amazon (for Technology) and AO.com.
• Prices to suit a range of wallets – we might not be the cheapest, but we’re always ‘worth it’; we sell t-shirts from £8 upwards and double mattresses starting at under £200: we house a unique array of affordable and premium choices.

Quality

• The best of the best under one roof – a unique selection of the best picks from the top brands, chosen for being the outstanding producers in their field: Apple, Samsung, Charlotte Tilbury, LOEWE, Tempur, Le Creuset and Barbour, among many others. 
• Delivering brands to customers in new ways, extending the successful Beauty model into Fashion – partnering with brands to give more control over their proposition – and launching exciting, disruptive collaborations, like those with Collagerie and Sophie Conran.
• Reinvigorate our Home offer – our heartland categories will lead the market with stylish products for every taste, underpinned by a quality assortment of everyday essentials. 
• A high bar in ethical sourcing and technical standards, with a commitment to using only sustainable or recycled cotton, cashmere and timber in our own brand products by 2025.

Service

• To maintain our number one position in retail customer service we’re continuing to invest, with more Partners where customers need them the most – like Personal Stylists available on the shop floor without appointment, and any Partner able to get you to an expert quickly using digital headsets – which are already seeing improvements in customer satisfaction scores. 
• Leading guarantees and warranties with a minimum 2 year guarantee now included on all electricals, 5 years on TVs, and 25 years on John Lewis & Partners sofa frames - at no extra cost.
• Invest in stores with new propositions, including new Oxford Street beauty hall and rooftop cafe; and major upgrades to High Wycombe and Cheadle stores. 
• Connecting our shop and online distribution with, for example, ‘ship from store’ so we can maximise availability for our customers.

Peter Ruis, Executive Director at John Lewis, says:

“We are reimagining Never Knowingly Undersold for how customers shop today - offering great quality, service and prices in store and online - and re-starting the conversation as to what it means to Live Knowingly in the 21st century.

“100 years ago John Spedan Lewis created Britain’s most innovative and famous brand mantra. It defines why John Lewis is so special, and its unique position in the retail landscape. For the past seven months I’ve talked to our customers and our Partners about what John Lewis means to them. Today, we’re kick-starting our brand for the next 100 years, the perfect fusion of heritage and British eccentricity blended with radical relevance for the modern customer.”

Nish Kankiwala, the John Lewis Partnership’s Chief Executive, says:

“This is a significant and critical milestone in the modernisation of our John Lewis customer proposition. It represents further evidence of the retail focused transformation of our Partnership and is a very proud moment for our Partners and an exciting prospect for our customers.”

Sharon White, the John Lewis Partnership’s Chairman, adds:

“Now is the right time for Never Knowingly Undersold to return in a form that will resonate with customers whether they’re shopping in store or online. I’m delighted that Peter and his team are reinvigorating the John Lewis promise to our customers for the 21st century and I am excited to see the brand go from strength to strength, today as Chairman and in future as a customer.” 

Notes to Editors: 

1. Never Knowingly Undersold and our new price promise will apply from 9 September 2024. 

2. The brands being matched are: AO.com; Amazon (on technology); Apple; Argos; Asos; Boots; Currys; Dunelm; Dreams; The Entertainer; Fenwick; Flannels; Furniture Village; Harrods; Harvey Nichols; Heal’s; House of Fraser; Lakeland; M&S; Mama’s and Papa’s; Next; Richer Sounds; Selfridges; Smyths Toys and Space NK. 

3. The price promise will be supported by a dedicated John Lewis team who will support customers with a refund mechanism if they find better prices at our 25 major competitors, or if we drop our price within seven days of purchase.

4. Never Knowingly Undersold was launched publicly in our Peter Jones shop in Sloane Square in London in 1925, before rolling out to our other shops in 1926 as a promise of great value to customers. When it was first introduced, the concept was revolutionary, setting John Lewis apart as a retailer that prioritised customer trust and fairness over profit margins. 

5. The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), July 2024, found John Lewis to be the highest rated non-food retailer for customer service.