John Lewis to charge click-and-collect orders under £30

British retailer John Lewis will start charging shoppers for click-and-collect service on small orders as it considers the market’s prevailing free model unsustainable. John Lewis will impose a £2 fee on orders under £30 with click-and-collect orders above that threshold remaining free.

Until now John Lewis had fulfilled all click-and-collect orders for free making this recent move controversial. However, John Lewis managing director Andy Street is confident that customers will understand the move and believes other retailers may follow suit.

“We want to take a leadership position,” he asserts. “This market has got to be sustainable. We think our customers will understand this is reasonable because we can’t give everything away for free. There is a huge logistical operation behind this system and free click-and-collect delivery for small orders makes it unsustainable.”

According to him, only 18% of John Lewis’ click-and-collect orders are below £30, meaning a minority of its shoppers would be affected by the move.