Category Archives: John Lewis

John Lewis is ‘back on track’, says outgoing chair Sharon White

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Return to profit will enable ‘significant investment’, including Waitrose refurbs and more convenience stores

The outgoing chair of John Lewis has insisted that the retail group is “back on track” and “more fit for the future” with an improving financial position enabling it to spend money refurbishing Waitrose supermarkets and opening convenience stores.

Sharon White, who will retire as chair of the John Lewis Partnership in September, said the upmarket Waitrose brand was “underrepresented in convenience” as it sought new avenues of growth.

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John Lewis owner cut 3,500 jobs last year yet hired chief on £1.2m pay deal

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Further job cuts likely as JLP says it is investing in automation as part of ‘simplifying the way we work’

The owner of John Lewis and Waitrose cut 3,500 jobs last year amid efforts to save costs in a tough market – but employed its first group chief executive on a more than £1m pay deal.

The staff-owned group, which has 34 John Lewis department stores and 329 Waitrose supermarkets, said it employed 72,900 people in its annual report published on Thursday, down from 76,400 a year before, helping to reduce its pay bill to £1.79bn from £1.82bn.

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John Lewis to partner with Randox Health to open clinics in stores

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In effort to attract customers amid falling sales, retailer joins forces with Covid testing firm to offer full-body health checks

John Lewis is to team up with Covid testing firm Randox Health to open clinics within its shops in the latest effort to draw in customers amid tough trading conditions.

The clinics, which will be run by Randox staff, will offer full-body health checks including tests for vitamin deficiencies, hormone imbalances and key health concerns, among other services.

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‘Organised gangs’ are shoplifting to order in UK, John Lewis boss says

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Groups of thieves are targeting high-value items such as bottles of spirits, warns the retail group chair Sharon White

John Lewis chair Sharon White has raised fears for the safety of its store workers amid a rise of “organised gangs” of shoplifters who are targeting high-value items such as bottles of spirits.

White, the head of the department store group which also owns Waitrose supermarkets, said it was “not an exaggeration” to describe the change as an epidemic.

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Waitrose in talks with Amazon over online grocery deal, says report

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Supermarket said to be considering third-party deal after share of UK market falls

Waitrose is reportedly in talks with Amazon to sell groceries via the internet marketplace, in an attempt to lure in more shoppers and claw back market share.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that the upmarket supermarket, part of the John Lewis Partnership, and Amazon were discussing a third-party deal, after the world’s biggest online retailer struck a similar agreement with the supermarket Iceland recently.

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John Lewis boss faces confidence vote as business considers ways to seek new funds

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Sharon White wants to bring in investors to build flats above stores, potentially leading to the sale of stake in the business

The boss of John Lewis will face a confidence vote by staff members on Wednesday as the business considers the option of bringing in outside investment in a change that could threaten the decades-old employee-owned model.

Chairman Sharon White is considering radical ways to bring in up to £2bn to help secure the future of the John Lewis Partnership, including diversifying into building flats for rent above shops, after reporting hefty losses from its chain of department stores and Waitrose supermarkets.

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EasyJet looks to over-45s in cabin crew recruitment drive

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Airline launches campaign targeting ‘empty nesters’ or people looking for challenge later in life

The airline easyJet has launched a recruitment drive urging people over the age of 45 to join its cabin crews, as firms devise new strategies for hiring staff in the UK amid a shortage of workers.

The airline said it has seen a 27% increase in crew aged 45 and over in the past four years, including a 30% increase in over-60s in the past year.

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John Lewis suffers first half loss of £99m and warns of risk to staff bonuses

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Outlook ‘uniquely uncertain’, says Partnership as it announces cost of living support for staff

The John Lewis Partnership has warned its annual staff bonus is at risk this year after it slumped to a first half loss of £99m and said the outlook in the run-up to Christmas was “uniquely uncertain”.

The group, which is staff-owned and includes the Waitrose supermarket chain, blamed soaring inflation for the loss in the 26 weeks to 30 July, which compared with a £29m loss before tax in the same period last year.

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John Lewis boss calls for Covid-style cost of living aid package

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Dame Sharon White follows Tesco chief in urging UK government to help with rising energy and grocery bills

The boss of John Lewis has urged the governmentto intervene with a financial package of support to protect families from the cost of living crisis on the same scale as it did to help the nation deal with the Covid pandemic.

Dame Sharon White, a former second permanent secretary at the Treasury, said the government needed to act urgently as families struggle to pay utility and food costs as energy bills and inflation soars.

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UK supermarkets unite after Sainsbury’s advert prompts racist backlash

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Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose run ads back-to-back on Channel 4

A group of leading UK supermarkets have joined together to take a stand against a racist online backlash that followed Sainsbury’s Christmas advertisement featuring a black family.

Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose ran their adverts back-to-back during two primetime slots on Channel 4 on Friday evening, with the hashtag #StandAgainstRacism. Normally, competitors actively avoid airing their ads close together.

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Does Joe Cunningham need to woo SC Republicans to win?

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Low Tide Brewing on Johns Island was Joe Cunningham's first stop on a "Cunningham Brewery Tour" on Thursday July 26, 2018 in his campaign for congress. Wade Spees/Staff Republican congressional candidate Katie Arrington turns to former congressman Tommy Hartnett as she expresses gratitude for his work during a 1st Congressional Honorees Banquet at Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant on Thursday, August 16, 2018.

33 photos that show why everyone misses Obama

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From vacationing in exotic locations , to dancing at a BeyoncA -Jay Z concert , to negotiating a Netflix deal , Obama has been making the most of his post-presidency - and it's hard not to feel a little nostalgic for the eight years he was in office. Obama pretends to be caught in Spider-Man's web as he greets Nicholas Tamarin, 3, just outside the Oval Office on Oct. 26, 2012.

Rep. John Lewis released from hospital Sunday after observation for undisclosed illness

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Rep. John Lewis thanks anti-gun violence supporters following a rally with fellow Democrats on the East Front steps of the U.S. House of Representatives October 4, 2017 in Washington, DC. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, was released Sunday from a hospital with a "clean bill of health," after falling ill the day before, a spokeswoman said.

Rep. John Lewis hospitalized after falling ill on plane

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GOP Rep. Issa: 'Nobody's Going to be Surprised' If Trump Lied About Russia Meeting - Rep. Darrell Issa appeared on Fox News for an interview with Neil Cavuto Saturday, and trashed former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen as a "turncoat," before downplaying the potential that President Donald Trump lied GOP lawmaker: 'Nobody's going to be surprised' if Trump approved Russia meeting - on Saturday downplayed renewed scrutiny over whether President Trump - knew in advance about his son's meeting with a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Hillary Clinton Giuliani: Cohen and Trump's legal teams have severed ties - Rudy Giuliani signaled on Saturday that President Donald Trump and his legal team are severing ties to Michael Cohen, the president's longtime former personal attorney.