Sharon White: John Lewis will be profitable in three years June 8, 2023 John Lewis boss Sharon White has reportedly not ruled out tapping up outside investment to bring the struggling upmarket retailer back to profitably by 2026, however vowed that the would remain business employee owned. White told members of the Employee Owned Association – which represents UK organisations which are employee owned- that the plan to [...]
Sharon White: Embattled John Lewis chair survives confidence vote – just about May 10, 2023 John Lewis chair Sharon White will remain chief of the business after winning a vote of confidence on her future leadership, but remains under considerable pressure with partners voting against her performance over the last year. White secured one victory at a John Lewis Partnership meeting held on Wednesday, with a majority of partners saying [...]
UK retail giant set to ditch central London office space amid job losses May 1, 2023 John Lewis is looking to cut its office space by over 50 per cent after the company seeks to drastically cut costs benefiting from a loose hybrid working approach. The John Lewis Partnership, which also owns Waitrose, first announced its plans to move offices last year, waiting until the lease of its current Victoria HQ [...]
John Lewis boss vows to keep employee-owned retailer ‘unique’ April 26, 2023 Dame Sharon White has vowed to preserve what makes the John Lewis Partnership “unique,” as the chief of the struggling retail chain outlines how the company plans to navigate the cost of living crisis and retain its customer base. Dame Sharon told The Telegraph retailers were continuing to see the “effects of the pandemic” and [...]
Why is John Lewis overhauling its loyalty card scheme? April 25, 2023 John Lewis and Waitrose are both preparing to launch new loyalty card schemes as the partnership looks to turn around the business. The John Lewis Partnership, which owns the department store and upmarket grocery store, has drafted in Dunnhumby, the company which helped establish Tesco’s clubcard scheme in the 1990s and, also, promotions business Eagle [...]
John Lewis’ partnership model put it on a pedestal, now it joins the rest of us April 6, 2023 John Lewis has had an easy ride because its almost mythical shared ownership structure, as it looks to dilute it, it joins every other businesses in Britain in facing a hostile environment.
What next for Waitrose? Supermarket quits Planet Organic talks after John Lewis fiasco March 29, 2023 Waitrose has pulled out of secret talks to acquire a stake in rival health supermarket Planet Organic. The high-end supermarket, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership, ceased discussions late last week about a possible agreement, according to reports first published in Sky News, Sources told the outlet that the deal would have meant [...]
The Notebook: Neil Bennett on corporate disasters, Paris on fire and signs of hope for Wandisco March 29, 2023 One of my favourite business quotes comes, inevitably, from Warren Buffett: “It is only when the tide goes out, that you discover who has been swimming naked.” In the past two weeks it has become clear that the recent rapid tightening of rates has created to a strong ebb tide, and that there is an [...]
The Notebook: Royal Mail, Succession and a fabulous rugby charity March 27, 2023 The Notebook is a home for musings and jottings on the Square Mile and beyond. Today, it’s Andy Silvester’s turn. ANOTHER day, another indication that Royal Mail’s future has got lost in the post. Only a fortnight after being referred to the regulator for “systemic letter delivery failures” – a task you’d probably describe as [...]
‘Tragedy’ if John Lewis ownership changes, says ex-boss March 26, 2023 John Lewis changing its ownership model would be “a tragedy”, a former top boss has said. Reports last week suggested the retailer is considering ending its fully staff-owned structure, with the partnership’s chairwoman, Sharon White, exploring plans to sell a minority stake. West Midlands mayor Andy Street, John Lewis managing director until 2016, acknowledged the [...]