John Lewis is bringing back its ‘never knowingly undersold’ price promise, just two and a half years after it was scrapped, as part of a major marketing push ahead of Christmas. The department store will use artificial intelligence tools to match prices in-store and online against 25 competitors, including Marks & Spencer, Boots, Currys, House of Fraser, and—for technology only—Amazon.
Under the revived scheme, customers who find an item cheaper at one of the listed brands within seven days of purchase will be refunded the difference. Prices will be adjusted daily based on AI-driven market analysis. Peter Ruis, the retailer’s managing director, said the relaunch represents a multimillion-pound investment in technology, price adjustments, and advertising.
Ruis noted that 30,000 prices will be changed in the first week alone, supported by a TV campaign voiced by actress Samantha Morton and featuring Laura Mvula’s rendition of Paul Simon’s ‘I Know What I Know’. This is one of three planned Christmas ads, forming what John Lewis describes as its “biggest ever investment in marketing in the second half”.
The price promise, used for nearly a century before being dropped in February 2022, was originally axed by Ruis’s predecessor, Pippa Wicks, who argued it had become irrelevant in an era of online-only retailers. However, Ruis said the removal had eroded customer trust, leading shoppers to assume prices had risen. “This is not a drive to more lower-priced product but a drive to what John Lewis has always been – the democracy of really good essential prices right up to the premium level,” he added.
The scheme was tested on 7,000 customers, with 63% reporting they were more likely to shop at John Lewis as a result. Ruis insisted the move would not hit profits but would boost sales, having been modelled rigorously. The group is also exploring the use of brand-funded workers in some departments, though existing staff will not be affected.
