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 [...]
‘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 [...]
Retail guru Mary Portas warns John Lewis it has ‘let go of the soul’ March 25, 2023 Mary Portas has sent an open letter to department store John Lewis warning that it has “let go of the soul”.
Explainer: Why Waitrose is no longer the jewel in the John Lewis crown and how the group’s future may lie in property, not produce March 17, 2023 Times are tough for John Lewis as chair Sharon White admitted when the high street stalwart this week announced it had made a £234m loss in 2022. The sum was worse than market expectations and marked the second year the upmarket retailer had gone into the red. In a sympathetic letter addressed to the company’s [...]
John Lewis blames ‘pain of inflation’ for £234m loss and admits it will not be paying partner bonuses March 16, 2023 John Lewis Partnership has blamed shoppers feeling the “pain of inflation” and a write down in the value of its Waitrose stores for its second year of losses in a row. For the year ending January, the middle class favourite, which owns John Lewis department stores and grocery chain Waitrose, posted a loss of £234m [...]
John Lewis annual partner bonus ‘at risk’ as middle class favourite takes on first CEO and faces down talk of pre-tax loss March 15, 2023 John Lewis has drafted in its first chief executive as chairman Sharon White looks to get another pair off hands on deck to help the retail group ahead of its trading update tomorrow. John Lewis Partnership, which oversees the management of department store John Lewis and upmarket grocery chain Waitrose, has appointed retail veteran Nish [...]
John Lewis comes under fire for lack of affordable housing in first build-to-rent scheme March 8, 2023 John Lewis has faced pushback over its first build-to-rent development after the leader of Ealing council accused the firm of “bullying” and raised concerns about the lack of affordable homes for locals in the area. Peter Mason, leader of Ealing council, took to Twitter to slam the retail group about the possibility of it not [...]
High Street retail race: Marks and Spencer predicted to overtake John Lewis by 2026 February 8, 2023 Marks & Spencer will overtake John Lewis in the rankings of the UK’s biggest retailers by 2026, according to a new sales forecast. Tesco will retain its position as the largest retailer, followed by Sainsbury’s, but Amazon is on track to move into the top three within the next few years, industry title Retail Week [...]
Slow fashion: Retailers embrace second-hand clothing to draw in thrifty eco-conscious fashion lovers January 23, 2023 High street retailers are following in the footsteps of their online rivals, offering more second-hand clothes to lure in shoppers wanting to steer clear of fast fashion and hunt for bargains amid a cost of living crisis. The second-hand clothing market has exploded over the last decade to an estimated £6.5bn last year, largely thanks [...]
Waitrose stops selling single-use vapes January 3, 2023 Waitrose has stopped selling single-use vapes due to concerns about the negative impacts on the environment and young people’s health. “While we have robust controls under our Challenge 25 Policy, we are concerned about the risk these products pose by appealing to younger people – as well the environmental impact,” the supermarket said in a [...]