John Lewis is pleased to announce that it has become a Patron of the British Beauty Council, a not-for-profit organisation that engages with businesses and government to address the needs of the British beauty industry.

From aspirational brands to newer rising stars, beauty is a crucial part of the John Lewis retail offering with sales up by 6.8% in H1 2024 compared with 2023. The patronage reflects the commitment to partnering with the Council on the fantastic strategic initiatives in place to support the beauty industry, and promote growth opportunities.

John Lewis has invested significantly in its in-store beauty experience this year, with Beauty Hall refurbishments taking place in our Oxford Street, High Wycombe, and Cheadle stores in 2024.

Our new and improved Beauty Hall at our flagship Oxford Street store is due to be unveiled on 24 October – coinciding with the Council’s British Beauty Week.

“We are excited to have become a patron of the British Beauty Council, a significant milestone that reinforces the investments we are making in beauty both in our stores, and as a leading player in the online marketplace too. We look forward to working together to promote a thriving industry that can best serve our beauty customers across the UK.”

Helen Spencer, Head of Beauty at John Lewis

“We are delighted to welcome John Lewis as a Patron of the British Beauty Council. The retailer is an integral part of British heritage and a cornerstone of the high street, two things the Council continuously champions. We all have memories from within the walls of a John Lewis beauty hall due to its unique intergenerational offering.

“Now, the retailer is repositioning to take beauty to the next level, something that the Council is dedicated to. We are excited to collaborate with John Lewis and other patrons to nurture future talent, promote innovation and aid the growth of beauty in the UK.”

Millie Kendall, Chief Executive of the British Beauty Council

This year we have offered 143 roles to people from the care experienced community through our employment initiative, a six-fold increase on last year.

Our Building Happier Futures programme, which supports care experienced people into work and education, has also raised £2.2m since its launch in 2022, celebrated today at the launch of the second annual impact report.

The Building Happier Futures programme aims to offer employability support to care experienced people, including work experience, CV writing and interview skills to ultimately create job opportunities.

Ahead of Care Leavers Week, the report launched highlights milestones achieved since the programme’s inception in 2022, including:

• Over 600 Partners (employees of the John Lewis Partnership) completed care experience learning with Who Cares? Scotland, deepening their understanding to become proactive allies.

• 550 care experienced people have engaged in the Building Happier Futures employability programme

• We were named The Fostering Network’s 2023 Employer of the Year, as well as becoming a Silver Standard Kinship Friendly Employer with national charity, Kinship.

• Partnering again with the Open University, we jointly fund 8 student scholarships for young, care experienced people in 2024; taking our total to 12 scholarships since 2023.

• The Building Happier Futures programme moved to sit as a Fund, as part of the John Lewis Partnership Foundation. The change allows that, alongside supporting our existing charity partners, we can now award grants to UK projects that provide education, connection, experience and fun for care experienced people.

“I’m very proud to introduce the second Building Happier Futures annual report. In the last year, we’ve continued to collaborate and learn from experts in the community to make sure our work is credible and sustainable.

We continue to work with local authorities, charities and trusts to create employment opportunities for young people and remain passionate about being the employer of choice for individuals with care experience.”

Ceira Thom, Head of Learning, Inclusion and Belonging

“As I reflect on the progress that is being made and the impact that the Building Happier Futures programme has had two years in, it reinforces my belief in our Partnership as a truly different kind of business, which places our purpose; to work in partnership for a happier world, at its heart.

A genuine thank you to all those involved in realising our 2024 impacts; we’re only two years in but we’re building momentum and are excited to see where we’ll all be a further 12 months from now.”

Jo Rackham, Interim Executive Director, People, at the John Lewis Partnership

“We’re determined to deliver the best life chances for all children and make sure they have the support they need to thrive.

We know that for many young people, leaving care can be intimidating and overwhelming, which is why it’s fantastic to see the work that the John Lewis Partnership is doing to support care experienced young people with opportunities to build their skills and fulfil their potential.

We will continue to make the transition out of care as a smooth as possible by helping care leavers to access accommodation, jobs and practical and emotional help.”

Janet Daby, Minister for Children & Families

Thoughts from our charity partners

“Action for Children’s vision is that every child and young person has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive. Our work with the John Lewis Partnership is helping more care experienced children and young people to have the stability they need and deserve.

We are so proud to be in partnership on the Building Happier Futures programme to inspire more support for young people with care experience now and in the future.”

Paul Carberry, Chief Executive at Action for Children

“The Building Happier Futures programme has had a significant impact since it launched, and has continued to grow from strength to strength over the last year. The funds raised have enabled us to offer more moments of happiness to our members than ever before – including our Care Family Christmas, Carelidh and Summer Camp.

The benefits of bringing Care Experienced people together in connection and belonging cannot be overstated. However, the impact of the programme goes much deeper with John Lewis Partnership investing in Care Aware training for partners to ensure that their workplace is somewhere that Care Experienced people can thrive.

Alongside this, it has been a privilege to sit on the Building Happier Future’s Advisory Board, to come together to influence the future of Care Experienced people all over the UK. The partnership has achieved amazing things so far, and I am excited to see how much we can achieve together going forward.”

Louise Hunter, CEO, Who Cares? Scotland

“Building Happier Futures continues to have a huge impact for the fostering community across the UK. As a Fostering Friendly employer, the John Lewis Partnership is providing vital support to partners who foster and those going through the approval process.

We need to recruit and retain foster carers now more than ever and JLP have helped spread this urgent call to new audiences. With the majority of care experienced children in the UK living in fostering families, the impact of initiatives like this cannot be underestimated.

The John Lewis Partnership is leading the way as a socially responsible employer and others should follow in their footsteps.”

Sarah Thomas, Chief Executive of The Fostering Network

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has expanded its property management business with the addition of a new site in Birmingham.

Landrow Place

From today (1 October), we will take over the management of Landrow Place on the edge of the city’s Jewellery Quarter, which comprises 259 apartments and was built in 2021. It takes the total number of homes we now manage to more than 800 with further locations planned.

Landrow Place was purpose built for renters, including a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes with shared areas for fitness, home-working and socialising, and will be managed by our Partners, as employees of the JLP are known.

Long term ambitions

The announcement signals further positive momentum in delivering our long-term ambition to manage 10,000 homes through a combination of third-party sites and developing our own build to rent sites.

It marks the latest addition to our property management portfolio which was first established late last year when we took over the operation of the 326 homes in the Clarendon Quarter in Leeds. This was followed by the 232 homes in the Queen Street Quarter in Leicester earlier this year.

All three buildings are owned by clients of abrdn, which sees us build on the £500m joint venture we have with the global investment company to develop and manage homes in three existing John Lewis Partnership locations.

In July we were given the green light to redevelop our Waitrose shop in Bromley with a modernised store and 353 homes and we have recently submitted a planning application to transform a disused former warehouse site in Reading.

We also continue to progress plans through the appeal process to replace our Waitrose shop in Ealing with a new store and homes. The three proposed sites will potentially deliver more than 1,000 much-needed homes in central locations in close proximity to the local transport network.

Award winning property management

The team of Partners who manage the homes in Leicester has recently been nominated for ‘Best Onsite Team’ at the Build to Rent Awards taking place next month, whilst customer satisfaction scores have improved.

In addition, HomeViews, the UK’s only independent review platform for residential developments, has recently reported that resident satisfaction at both sites under JLP management has improved significantly, with sites now performing above the UK benchmark on every metric.

“In less than a year we have established a management business that has brought about significant improvement in customer satisfaction scores and, with the addition of Landrow Place, we will now operate more than 800 homes.

Alongside our first approved application to deliver desperately needed new homes from our own sites, with a further two applications in progress, it signals real momentum now in realising our long-term housing ambitions.”

Sophie Hine, Head of BTR Operations and Customer Experience for the John Lewis Partnership

“Building on the strong performance by the JLP team on our abrdn Build-to-Rent properties in Leeds and Leicester, I am delighted that they have now taken over the property management at our Landrow Place property in Birmingham.

This collaboration allows us to continue to leverage JLP’s quality of service and renowned trust to further enhance the living experience for our residents. We look forward to the positive impact they will bring to Landrow Place and to continuing our successful journey together.”

Robert McDonnell, Fund Manager for abrdn

About the John Lewis Partnership

We operate two of Britain’s best-loved retail brands – John Lewis and Waitrose. Started as a radical experiment over a century ago, the Partnership is now the largest employee-owned business in the UK, with around 70,000 employees who are all Partners in the business.

The Partnership is purpose-driven, existing to create a fairer and more sustainable future for our Partners, customers, suppliers and communities.

Our Purpose not only inspires our principles, drives our decisions and acts as our guide to be a force for good, it steers us to do things differently and better – all in service of creating a happier world for everyone and everything we touch.

John Lewis operates 34 shops across the UK as well as johnlewis.com. Waitrose has 314 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 59 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations.

Our omnichannel business includes the online grocery service, Waitrose.com, as well as specialist online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitroseflorist.com for plants and flowers.

John Lewis is thrilled to announce its new partnership with Waterstones which will see the launch of a new bookshop on 8 October in its flagship Oxford Street store, just in time for Christmas.

The collaboration is in line with our aim to invest in the record number of customers who shop with us and offer them an outstanding in-store experience. The partnership is a result of the rising demand for books at our stores and online, which has grown in recent years.

With a selection of nearly 20,000 books, including non-fiction, fiction and children’s books, Waterstones at John Lewis Oxford Street will appeal to casual browsers and avid readers alike. The experienced and passionate bookselling team will be on hand with reading recommendations and will also work on curating an exciting events programme.

The new Waterstones bookshop will be part of the extensive makeover currently underway at our Oxford Street store. This includes a brand new beauty hall, a newly opened rooftop bar and restaurant, and other investments across the store.

This partnership with Waterstone’s is just one of the ways in which we’re continuing to invest in our commitment to customers. With 56 cafes, restaurants, and bars across 36 stores, we’re dedicated to providing an inspirational shopping experience for customers.

“We’re delighted to partner with Waterstones, whose values and customer base are highly aligned with ours. We’re dedicated to offering our customers the best shopping experience possible, and this new bookshop is another way for us to invest in the customer offer, from our products and services to our complimentary hospitality offerings. With a record number of customers shopping with us, it is crucial for us to continue investing in our brand and customer proposition.” 

Katie Papakonstantinou, Director of Services & Hospitality for John Lewis

“We are thrilled to be working with John Lewis on this exciting new partnership and delighted to be returning to Oxford Street this Autumn. Waterstones at John Lewis Oxford Street will be an extensively ranged bookshop sited within this iconic flagship department store, perfect for browsing and a hub for author signings, with our booksellers on hand to offer expert customer guidance. We can’t wait to open our doors on Tuesday 8th October.” 

Kate Skipper, Chief Operating Officer, Waterstones

Waitrose is ramping up investment in its store portfolio with plans to open up to 100 convenience shops across the UK over the next five years. The announcement comes as we unveil our latest vision for what our shops could look like for customers in the future.

Our John Barnes shop in Finchley Road, London will test new concepts as part of our store investment programme. This will see us inject a record £1bn over the next three years into new stores and improvements to 150 existing shops, almost half of our estate.

The transformation of the Finchley Road store builds on the revamp of our Sudbury shop, in Suffolk, last year. These stores, along with the makeover of our Maidenhead shop in the autumn, will mark the next evolution of our shop proposition. They will be used to trial new services, product offerings and concept upgrades over the next 12 months before a new blueprint for Waitrose shops is revealed in 2025.

The investment in our store portfolio will focus on the areas that differentiate us, including:

• Upgrading service counters: At a time when many food retailers are removing theirs, meat and fish counters have been given a new look and upgraded.
• Award-winning wine selection given greater prominence: Finchley Road is the  first Waitrose to feature an entirely chilled department for white wine, champagne, rose and beer.
• Greater flexibility to respond to local demand: Finchley Road has given more space to top sellers including adding a second dry aged beef cabinet and dedicated parmesan section – 12% of Waitrose parmigiano counter sales come from the one store.
• More third party collaboration: A new and exclusive partnership with Crosstown doughnuts has been introduced as part of a refreshed bakery and we have expanded our concession with Sushi Daily to include a Hot Wok offer of ready-to-eat dishes.
• More dedicated space for on demand grocery orders:  The store becomes the first Waitrose shop to feature a hatch to allow riders to make collections outside of the store’s opening hours. It is also the first UK supermarket to have a dedicated internal space for on-demand grocery collections due to the increased popularity of orders through Deliveroo and Uber Eats.

The first new Waitrose store in six years will open in Hampton Hill later this year, subject to planning approval, with a second following in Greater London which will open early in the new year. The convenience store will trigger one of our biggest periods of expansion as we look to reach more customers having served a record 15 million last year.

“Waitrose will always offer fantastic food, but the groundwork we have undertaken behind the scenes in recent years means we can now focus on growth through new shops and ensuring our existing ones are providing great shopping experiences that match the quality of our products. 

“The transformation of our Finchley Road store marks the next evolution of our journey to create a great shopping experience for our customers, underpinned by a high-quality product offering tailored to the local area, and the quality service we are synonymous with. In designing the store, we have taken time to understand how our customers like to shop, and used this knowledge to introduce new concepts that will be tested and rolled out nationally as we continue to work towards the Waitrose of the future.”

James Bailey, Executive Director for Waitrose

“Our investment in our Waitrose store portfolio is already yielding strong results, with customers responding positively. As our retail driven plan continues to gain traction, our growing number of shoppers and increasing customer satisfaction scores are clear indicators of its success. This is a result of our unrelenting focus on improving the customer experience of our retail businesses, taking the love that exists for both brands and making sure customers are rewarded with better shops, the highest quality products, and the best service.”

Nish Kankiwala, Chief Executive Officer of the John Lewis Partnership

Waitrose has also continued to significantly invest in value and innovation this year to help attract and excite customers. We have invested millions of pounds in lowering hundreds of prices while refusing to compromise on the quality and animal welfare that sets us apart. We have relaunched our premium No.1 range, agreed exclusive partnerships with Yotam Ottolenghi and ZOE’s Daily30+, and acquired the restaurant-quality meal-kit delivery service, Dishpatch.

The latest Kantar figures reported last week show customers are responding to the investment in our offering, Waitrose recorded our strongest growth since November 2023 and is continuing to gain market share after July’s figures showed an increase for the first time since January 2022. We were also named top food retailer by the Institute of Customer Service last month.

The John Lewis Partnership is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Tarry as its seventh Chairman following Sharon White’s decision to step down at the end of her term.

Jason brings over 33 years of experience at Tesco where he was most recently the UK & Ireland CEO, a role he held for six years. His experience spans grocery, general merchandise and fashion in senior commercial, operational and general management positions, having joined the Tesco graduate programme in 1990.

In addition to delivering market leading grocery performance in the UK, he led the expansion of F&F Clothing across Europe as Group CEO. Jason is expected to take up the role in September, at which point Sharon will step down and support the transition as required.

“The Board extends its huge thanks to Sharon for successfully leading the Partnership through one of the most testing periods in its history – first Covid and then the cost of living crisis. She has faced into the toughest decisions and overseen the Partnership’s financial recovery; we are in good financial health with a return to profit, and have a strong balance sheet with record investment planned this year. Sharon has also helped ensure that employee ownership of the Partnership is secure, is demonstrably focused on its purpose as a force for good and with an open and inclusive culture.

“As the Partnership moves into the next phase of its modernisation focused on our core retail business as well future growth, we are confident that Jason will provide the kind of inspirational leadership, a proven track record in multi-channel, multi-category retail success and a strong identification with Partnership values that we are seeking in this role. Jason has impressed everyone throughout the interview process with his warmth, his belief in the Partnership’s ideals and democratic principles and his appreciation for our unique and special brands.” 

Rita Clifton, Deputy Chairman and Chair of the Nomination Committee,

“I’m delighted to be handing over to Jason, who has a combination of fantastic retail experience with leadership through transformation. From my many conversations with Jason, he has demonstrated a clear appreciation for the Partnership model and champions it. I look forward to welcoming him to the Partnership in September and carrying out a smooth handover. 

“I also want to thank Partners for their commitment and hard work; it’s been a huge privilege to be Chairman and I’m proud of what everyone has achieved. We’ve built the foundations for a stronger Partnership and I’m confident that Jason will take it from strength to strength.”

Sharon White, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership

“The Partnership and its brands stand for trust, value, quality and service and it’s a great privilege to be succeeding Sharon as the seventh Chairman. The Partnership is unique and I’ve long been an admirer of the employee-ownership model, its values and Partner-led customer service. This starts with a sharp focus on being brilliant retailers for customers and investing in growth. I’m looking forward to working with the Board, Nish and the Executive Team to deliver its clear strategy.” 

Jason Tarry, Chairman designate

The John Lewis Partnership celebrated its recently qualified apprentices at a special celebratory event this week.  150 of its apprentices took part, coinciding with the National Apprenticeship Week.

Apprentices from across John Lewis and Waitrose attended, which was the culmination of a day of workshops and focus on apprenticeships, skills for life and ongoing learning.  The event recognised and commended the achievements of each apprentice that has completed a course over the past year, and highlighted the transformative value that apprenticeships bring to Partners’ learning and lifelong development.

Apprenticeships are part of the fabric of our brands, with information from the archives recording the first apprentice advert over a hundred years ago in 1908:  The Western Gazette of 10 April 1908: under the heading Grocery and Provision advertised a “Vacancy for well-educated Youth as Apprentice. Good class trade under direct supervision of principal. Live in. – For terms apply to Waite, Rose and Taylor, Acton LONDON W”.

And the fledgling Partnership offered three apprenticeships at Peter Jones in 1916 “to learn the Art, Trade or Business of a section of the Drapery trade”. The indentures were signed by the apprentice, a parent, and J Spedan Lewis.

Within the Partnership, there are expected to be approximately 700 existing Partners starting out on an apprenticeship this year – with courses ranging from butchery to data.  This allows the existing workforce to continually learn new skills and maintain life-long learning.

Additionally, the Partnership last year transferred £1.1 million of apprenticeship levy to 19 charities supporting care experienced young people as part of our ongoing commitment to Building Happier Futures.

A total of 77 apprentices were funded to complete apprenticeships, this has enabled their charities to produce more robust data and support their fundraising efforts and impact reporting.  The John Lewis Partnership has a target to transfer £2 million during 2024/25 from our levy to charities supporting care experienced people.

“The pivotal role that apprenticeships play in nurturing talent, and fostering skills for life was very evident yesterday (at our event).  

“While the apprenticeship programme is undeniably a catalyst for learning and development, it could still go further and deliver so much more.  We would welcome reforms to make training and apprenticeships much more flexible and relevant to our future skills needs. 

“For example, it would open up the possibility of a pre-employment course to help potential apprentices reach the required level to start a full apprenticeship, or pre-employment training for vulnerable groups such as those who are care experienced to support them into work.”  

Ceira Thom, Head of Learning and Inclusion and Belonging at the John Lewis Partnership