John Lewis still never knowingly undersold - but now there's a catch

IT IS one of the most enduring slogans on the high street, making a promise to customers which has survived more than 80 years.

But John Lewis' pledge to be "never knowingly undersold" is being watered down in the face of tougher competition from internet "shops" and discount warehouses.

The chain has told The Scotsman it will no longer match the price offered by independent retailers more than eight miles from its stores under a pilot scheme in Scotland.

John Lewis said it hopes the change "will make the policy clearer for customers" and said it would still match prices at national chains such as Comet and Curry's, including sale prices.

Leigh Sparks, professor of retail studies at the University of Stirling, said: "There is a risk that, if a lot more customers are turned down when requesting a price promise, the bad publicity about this change will damage the reputation of John Lewis."

But he added: "The point of the slogan is that it gives peace of mind. Most consumers probably don't give much thought to the mechanics of how it might work in practice."

Until the change, a shopper who found a television on offer in a bargain store anywhere in Britain could buy the model for the same price in any branch of John Lewis.

The change means prices in out-of-town centres such as Glasgow's Braehead or Livingston's Macarthur Glen would not be matched unless they came from shops in a national chain. John Lewis has not matched prices from online-only retailers since 1999.

Sharon Costi, commercial manager of the John Lewis Partnership, said the "never knowingly undersold" phrase is "a huge part of the company image" and was not about to be dropped.

"The pilot scheme will run for a few months in Scotland and then we will consider what happens," she said. "We hope it will make our policy clearer to customers and set guidelines which are easier to follow.

"This is an important part of our brand heritage and we are very proud of it.

"We will continue to match the prices in our national competitors. Never knowingly undersold underpins our commitment to provide customers with the most competitive local prices."

A spokeswoman for the firm was unable to clarify what John Lewis considered to be a national competitor.

"Unfortunately, the detail of this is commercially sensitive. However, it was developed based on our customers' views," she said.

A spokesman for Curry's, which has a similar pledge to match prices, said: "Any retailer which operates a price promise on the high street in this day and age has to be pretty confident of their position.

"The pressure from online retailing is intense and sixty per cent of customers who walk into our stores have already researched the price of their item online."

Fiona Moriarty, the director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: "The high street is fiercely competitive and it is a difficult environment for any retailer who makes such a price promise. This is a small adjustment to what has been an enduring policy of benefit to consumers."

The principle of "never knowingly undersold" was adopted in 1925 by Spedan Lewis, son of the company founder, John Lewis.

It first applied to the company's Peter Jones store and stated that if a customer could buy the same item cheaper elsewhere, it would refund the difference.

Its adoption came five years after Spedan Lewis began sharing the profits the business made among the employees. John Lewis Partnership now has more than 60,000 full-time partners.