TRANSFORMATION DELIVERING SOLID PROGRESS

• Profit before tax and exceptional items¹ tripled from £42m to £126m
• Profit before tax grew from £56m to £97m, up 73%
• Sales² rose by 3% year-on-year, up from £12.4bn to £12.8bn
• Operating profit margin³ improved to 2.0%, up 0.9 percentage points year-on-year
• Customer numbers grew by 2% over the year
• Cash generated from operations⁴ increased by £99m to £532m, up 23%
• Repaid £300m Bond from cash reserves resulting in the lowest borrowings since 2002
• Strong balance sheet with total liquidity of £1.5bn
• Investing a further £114m in Partners’ pay and up to £600m in business transformation; after careful consideration, we have prioritised this investment over sharing a Bonus this year

Jason Tarry, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “These are solid results, which show that our customers are responding well to our investments in quality products, value and service. We have made good progress with much more still to do.

“Looking forward, I see significant opportunity for growth from both our Waitrose and John Lewis brands. Our focus will be on enhancing what makes these brands truly special for our customers. This will involve considerable catch-up investment in our stores and supply chain, underpinned by a strong focus on the core elements of great retail, delivered by our brilliant Partners.

“Our distinct Partnership model stands out as a key competitive differentiator, enabling us to adopt a long-term perspective. I am confident with the transformation momentum in the Partnership, we remain well placed to drive further growth in the year ahead and over the longer term – creating a Partnership that our customers and Partners are truly proud of.”

Nish Kankiwala, CEO of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “I want to thank all of our Partners for their incredible hard work this year and our customers for their loyalty, both of which led to continued momentum through the year and especially over Christmas. Tripling our profit is a significant testament to the progress of our transformation – focused on delighting customers while continuing to deliver efficiency improvements, thereby laying the foundations for long-term sustainable growth.

“Both brands are showing good momentum. Our strategic investments in product innovation, quality, service and value have yielded significant improvements in customer satisfaction, attracting more customers to shop with us.

“As I step down after two years as CEO, which has been an incredible privilege, I want to express my gratitude to our Partners who have shown amazing commitment to our refreshed plan. I am confident in the Partnership’s continued success given the momentum we have built and the opportunities that lie ahead.”

The John Lewis Partnership, home to Waitrose and John Lewis, reports a significant improvement in financial performance for the full year 2024/25 as profit before tax and exceptional items tripled from £42m to £126m.

Our full year performance demonstrates solid progress on our multi-year transformation plan as we maintain our focus on ’Brilliant Retail’.

Profit before tax increased by 73% from £56m to £97m. Partnership sales were £12.8bn, up 3% year-on-year. Operating profit margin increased 0.9 percentage points to 2.0% as our sharp focus on productivity showed benefits. Cash generated from operations was £532m, up £99m (23%) year-on-year.

More customers shopped with our brands this year, up 2%, and we saw growth in our loyalty schemes: My Waitrose up 7% to 4.6 million active members and My John Lewis up 11% to 3.7 million.

We invested a third more in 2024/25 in our business than the prior year and intend to step up our transformation plan in the year ahead, backed by planned self-funded investment of £600m. We will continue to invest in improving the customer experience through store refurbishments and openings, technology upgrades and supply chain modernisation.

Our balance sheet remains strong. Total liquidity closed the year at £1.5bn and we have the lowest levels of borrowings since 2002 after repaying a £300m bond in January 2025. We made recurring productivity savings of £255m this year, while growing customer satisfaction, with total benefits of £667m realised since 2021, on track towards our £900m target by January 2026.

As employee-owners, we have a shared responsibility to ensure the Partnership is sustainable over the long term. We’ve consistently said that at this point in our transformation, this is best served by investing in our retail businesses and in Partners’ base pay. So after careful consideration, we do not believe it would be right to award a Partnership Bonus this year. We are increasing overall pay by £114m in 2025, building on the £116m increase in 2024.

Waitrose

Sales grew 4.4% to £8.0bn and volumes were up 2.6% as Waitrose continued its positive momentum. Investment in Waitrose’s quality food proposition and lower prices – together with further improvements in technology and availability – helped drive this growth. Adjusted operating profit was £227m, up £122m as sales growth combined with productivity improvements delivered profit momentum. Operating margin doubled year-on-year to 3.0%.

Our focus on being the home for food lovers through innovation yielded strong results through:

• Investing in our ranges including the relaunch of Waitrose No.1 contributed to a 5.9% increase in sales of Waitrose own brand products. We also forged successful partnerships with exciting brands including Ottolenghi, WildFarmed and Gymkhana;
• Continuing our focus on lowering prices with £61m invested during the year, which means we have invested £150m since introducing New Lower Prices in 2023;
• Winning more Compassion in World Farming awards than any other supermarket and winning the best customer service award from The Grocer for the fourth year in a row;
• Opening the first Waitrose shop in six years with a convenience store in Hampton Hill, London, and revealing plans for a pipeline of new stores in the future;
• Refurbishing 14 Waitrose stores with new concepts as part of our store modernisation programme, delivering strong sales growth; and
• Growing on-demand grocery sales by 110% in the year and entering a new partnership with Just Eat, adding to Uber Eats and Deliveroo. We are also reaching even more customers through expanded relationships with Welcome Break and Shell.

John Lewis

Sales were in line with last year, at £4.8bn and ahead of the market with momentum building across the year. Adjusted operating profit was £45m. This year has been pivotal for our business in what remains a challenging environment for the sector. We have taken steps to invest in the performance of John Lewis. Our focus has been on providing even better value through the return of the Never Knowingly Undersold promise, improved customer service and better product ranges.

The strategy has shown early success, with the business experiencing contrasting halves within the year. The first half saw a 3% decrease in sales and a £24m drop in adjusted operating profit due to investments in growth. Marked improvement in the second half led to a 3% increase in sales and £8m growth in adjusted operating profit, creating momentum for the future.

John Lewis made major strides forward in the year by:

• Relaunching Never Knowingly Undersold, with improvements seen across all key metrics – from driving incremental sales and attracting new customers, to a 6pts gain in the second half on our ‘net promoter score’ and better value for money perceptions;
• Good Christmas performance with 4.1% year-on-year sales growth over the eight weeks of peak, industry celebrated Christmas advertising campaigns and ‘Brand Buzz’, as measured by YouGov, at its highest for four years;
• Investing across our store estate, attracting customers to brand new Beauty Halls in Oxford Street, High Wycombe and Cheadle; new Tech concepts in computing and exciting branded shop fits across Home and Fashion; as well as forging partnerships with brands including Waterstones, Jamie Oliver and Caffè Nero;
• Introducing new and in-demand brands, with more than 200 launches from the likes of Marc Jacobs and Sign of the Times in Fashion, Made and Ruggable in Home, the Oura Ring in Tech and Trinny London in Beauty;
• Capitalising on retail technology – including digital headsets, mobile payments and mobile ticket printing – which are improving customer service and efficiency; and
• Enhancing omnichannel through ‘deliver from store’ fulfillment – where online orders can be shipped by our stores and not just our warehouses – which is improving availability and sales.

Building complementary businesses for the long term

John Lewis Money, our financial services business, launched new products and payment methods, generating additional revenue and enhancing our retail businesses. The Partnership Card customer base grew 6% in the year. We also advanced plans to optimise the value of our property estate by building new rental homes, receiving planning approval for our Bromley site, with two more sites in the planning process.

Outlook

While we expect the macroeconomic environment to continue to be challenging for our customers and our business, we are confident in our strategy. Our improved cash generation and strong liquidity allow us to invest significantly in the year ahead – a planned £600m – to enhance our customer proposition.

We are making solid progress and have much more to achieve. By relentlessly focusing on our customers’ needs, delivered by our brilliant Partners, we will pursue the headroom for growth that exists in our retail brands. We expect to see a further increase in profitability in 2025/26.

At the John Lewis Partnership, people are everything. That’s why we’ve made our new careers site as accessible as possible, so it’s a joy to visit – for everyone.  

Taking website accessibility to the next level meant being curious. It meant working closely with our website developers to find the most cutting-edge features available.  

We wanted to remove as many barriers as we possibly could, encouraging online applications for our jobs from people of all abilities. Here’s how we’ve done just that. 

Accessibility settings 

Look to the top right of your screen and you’ll see the universal access icon (a human figure in a circle). Simply click on this circle, and you’ll have access to our accessibility settings, with options to select an alternative high contrast theme and text size.  

These settings are applied in an instant once clicked, no matter what device you’re using. They’re integrated completely with our website so there’s no need to mess around with browser settings or download any plugins. 

High contrast theme 

The first option on our accessibility setting toolbar is a high contrast theme. As if by magic, this transforms the colours that appear on every page, making the site much easier to read for those with low vision or colour vision deficiencies.  

Large text setting 

There’s also an option within our accessibility toolbar to increase the text size on the website. This is a really helpful feature for those with a visual disability or cognitive impairment, as it makes it easy to read and concentrate on different sections of text. 

Keyboard navigation 

Our careers site has an optimal set up for visually impaired people who are using screen readers. Logical tabbing sequences and clear focus indicators mean links, buttons, menus, and forms can all be navigated easily with a keyboard. 

Links, imagery, and form fields are also tagged with descriptive text to further improve the website experience for our screen reader users. 

Video captions 

Videos across the website are presented with captions. These narrate the audio for those with a hearing impairment. We know this feature will also be welcomed by those on the move who don’t have a pair of headphones to hand. 

Responsive design 

Our careers site has been built to be highly readable for candidates of all abilities. It features high contrast content, generous spacing of elements and accessible forms, which adapt to a variety of devices and screen sizes. 

We’d love to hear about your experience using the site and whether you feel there’s anything else we can do to improve it further. To give feedback or request more support, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly recruitment team. 

You might also wish to take a look at our accessibility and diversity pages, to learn more about more of the fantastic inclusivity initiatives at the John Lewis Partnership. 

In 2023, we became the 10,000th signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant as part of our commitment to improve the lives of service people and their families. More recently, we’ve introduced an internal Veteran and Military Families Support Community which connects Partners from across the business who may have a partner, spouse, parent, sibling or other family member who is serving or has served in the military.

The Partnership has a strong heritage of supporting the armed forces and, as a Purpose-driven business, we pride ourselves on inclusiveness. We’re committed to ensuring we provide opportunities to people from all backgrounds, including those with links to the military.

We have many current Partners (employees) working in various roles across the business including Project Managers, Senior Leaders, HGV Drivers and more. There are plenty of opportunities for those leaving service to transfer their skills into the Partnership.

But don’t just take our word for it. We recently caught up with some of our Partners who wanted to share their own personal experiences of leaving the Armed Forces and finding a career in the Partnership. 

Gary’s Story

Regional Distribution Centre Planning Manager

After not knowing what I wanted to do for a job after I left the RAF, a couple of fellow Veterans had just secured warehouse jobs with Waitrose. I originally joined on the 6am – 2pm morning shift (which suited me at the time as I was able to pick my young children up from school). I thought, this will work in the short term. I have regular hours on a shift that suits my family and will help whilst I work out what career path I want to follow.

I quickly recognised that there are many similarities between the Armed Forces and the Partnership; structure, solid ethics, rules, great training, development and teamwork.

I honestly never saw it as a long term career but, 33-years later, the Partnership has offered me wonderful opportunities and support. From training and development, to job variety and a great team ethic.

Angela’s Story

Physician

I joined the RAF in the 1980s as a doctor. I served in many locations, and latterly at RAF Brize Norton. For the past 12 years I have been the Partnership’s doctor.

I have found the same ethics, teamwork and camaraderie in the Partnership as I valued in the military.

I have met many ex-service personnel in a wide variety of roles since joining the Partnership. I would recommend the John Lewis Partnership as a great fit for those who are looking for a follow on career after serving in the military.

Aaron’s Story

Supermarket Assistant

I got injured in Afghanistan in September 2010. I lost my sergeant and one of my closest friends in the incident. I was left with a fractured spine and hip. Very lucky it was only just that. I had my spine fused and my hip pinned, which meant in November 2012 I was Medically Discharged from the army for my injuries and having PTSD.

I applied for a job at Waitrose in the middle of 2013 – it was only meant to be a stop gap – but 11 years later, I am still here!

The Partnership as a whole have been fantastic when it comes to helping me, especially as I can have some very up and down days.

Winter months are the worst for me, as it really affects my spine and hip. There are many people within my branch who don’t really know my story, as I suffer from survivor’s guilt. But I thought I would write this to show that the Partnership is a brilliant place for all ex-service people.

Lance’s Story

Supermarket Assistant

I’m an army veteran and have worked at Waitrose Cheltenham for 8-years. I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for wines and interacting with our customers.

I was originally commissioned into the Grenadier Guards and then spent 26-years in the Army Reserve and served in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. I then became Commandant of Gloucestershire Army Cadet Force.

I was, until recently, Chairman of Wessex Reserve Forces & Cadets Association which promotes the Armed Forces Covenant in the South West of England and I’m currently involved in four veterans associations and charities alongside my work at the Partnership.

The Nero Group, the family owned and operated premium coffee house business behind Caffè Nero, has today announced new partnerships with Waitrose and John Lewis.

Building on their successful relationship established in 2021, Waitrose and the Nero Group have come together and developed a new cafe concept which will initially launch in five Waitrose stores. The cafes will offer customers a menu with quality food and recipes from Waitrose and coffee roasted specially for Waitrose by The Nero Roasting Company.

There is also the opening of the first Caffè Nero in a John Lewis store, in White City, London. The 1500 sq ft store will seat 72 people and will offer the full range of Caffè Nero’s premium speciality coffees and its deli food. Customers can also expect the same warm welcoming experience they would receive from any Caffè Nero store on the high street.

The first Waitrose stores to offer the new cafes will be Billericay, Godalming, Keynsham, Locks Heath and Stroud. The new Waitrose café concept provides customers with a full sit in café experience.

Collaboration between The Nero Group and Waitrose started back in 2021. Since then the Nero Roasting Company has been supplying Waitrose’s 9 million myWaitrose loyalty customers with high quality roasted and blended coffee designed especially for them.

“Our partnership with Waitrose continues to build and we’ve been delighted with the close working relationship we have grown. We have always seen the potential to deepen that relationship further and the launch of the new cafes in Waitrose is a key step in that process, as is widening the scope of our relationship with our first Caffè Nero store within a John Lewis store.

I’m excited that customers can enjoy the hospitality and premium coffee of a Caffè Nero within the unique shopping experience of John Lewis. It’s a perfect pairing and there is still so much scope for our partnership to continue to grow”.

Will Stratton- Morris, Caffè Nero CEO UK

“We’re excited to build on our successful partnership with the Nero Group with the launch of our new cafes. The initial tranche of five cafes will offer the best of Waitrose food together with coffee from The Nero Roasting Company, in a welcoming environment, served by our brilliant Waitrose Partners. Our stores are hubs for local communities across the country and we know our customers love to have the option of enjoying a coffee, snack or meal after their shop.”

Charlotte Di Cello, Commercial Director for Waitrose

Waitrose today opened its first store in six years in Hampton Hill, London, and announced a further push into the convenience market by building on partnerships with Welcome Break and Shell.

Welcome Break

We’re targeting more new locations under our franchise with Welcome Break. New stores are opening on the A14 in Spaldwick, Cambridgeshire this month and on the M1 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as part of a brand new Welcome Break motorway services in January. A third location will open in 2025 with more planned if successful.

We have worked in partnership with Welcome Break since 2009 and at present trade Little Waitrose from 27 of its motorway service areas. The new stores will be the first we’ve opened with them for eleven years.

Shell

Additionally, Waitrose has now reached more than 100 Shell forecourt shops it supplies throughout the UK, with plans to add to further new locations in 2025.

Waitrose Hampton Hill

The two extended partnerships come as we open our first new Waitrose shop in six years with a new convenience shop in Hampton Hill in south west London. It will become the 47th Waitrose-operated convenience shop.

Whilst focus will initially be on opening smaller, more typical convenience stores of 3,000 sq ft, like Hampton Hill, we’re also looking at opportunities for larger convenience stores around double that size too.

The Hampton Hill store also signals the role our partnerships with Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat will continue to play in reaching a wider audience as it becomes the first Waitrose convenience shop to feature a hatch to allow delivery riders to make collections more easily.

The hatches are being trialled with a view to them becoming a key feature of Waitrose shops with average weekly on-demand grocery sales currently up by 115% compared to this time last year.

“The long associated stereotypes of food at forecourts and service stations are becoming a thing of the past – expectation has moved on and customers are rightfully demanding more. They want great tasting, quality food no matter where they are. Through new store openings and strategic partnerships we will continue to evolve our shops to get better and better, whilst reaching new locations that help bring Waitrose great quality, service and value closer to more customers.”

James Bailey, Executive Director for Waitrose

“We’re delighted to be opening Little Waitrose at our Spaldwick services on the A14. This will be our first Little Waitrose in a forecourt environment and a fantastic addition to the local area. Customers will now be able to stop off on their journey and select from a great range of quality Waitrose products. Our partnership with Waitrose has been incredibly prosperous and we look forward to opening more Little Waitrose stores in the coming years across the Welcome Break network.”

Adrian Grimes, Commercial Director for Welcome Break

About Waitrose

Run by over 45,000 passionate Partners, Waitrose has been serving customers for 120 years and offers extraordinary products in more than 300 shops and on Waitrose.com. We are committed to selling products which have been responsibly sourced, grown using the very best sustainable farming methods, some of which are grown or trialled on our very own farm, the Leckford Estate. In 2024, Waitrose was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment to be Grocers and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.

About Welcome Break

Welcome Break is one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, running 59 service areas and 31 hotels up and down the country. With 24-hour fuel courts, EV charging, and world-class food and retail brands including Waitrose, Starbucks, KFC, and Burger King, we welcome over 85 million customers every year.

Today we are unveiling the latest phase of our £800m store makeover plans for John Lewis. This will see a huge investment in our new look beauty halls and an exciting partnership with Jamie Oliver Cookery School.

Bigger and better beauty halls

Our flagship John Lewis store on Oxford Street, as well as stores in High Wycombe and Cheadle, are the first to benefit from significant investment with brand new and bigger Beauty Halls.

Beyond beauty, Oxford Street has had significant improvements to all corners of its six floors including home, tech, jewellery, large electricals, and more.

John Lewis is the UK’s leading quality beauty retailer, thanks to our strong presence both in stores and online, along with our commitment to offering expert advice from our team of beauty professionals.

John Lewis beauty sales in the first half of this year were up almost 7% on the same time last year.

Jamie Oliver cookery school

We’re also announcing today a partnership with Britain’s best known chef Jamie Oliver, to bring his new flagship Cookery School and Cafe to John Lewis Oxford Street in spring 2025.

Spanning over 4,600 sq ft, the school will have two classrooms hosting over 40 lessons as well as a 50-seat cafe. As part of his mission to teach children to cook, Jamie will continue to provide free cookery lessons for children during the school holidays.

The opening of Waterstones books in John Lewis Oxford Street earlier this month forms part of an £800m injection in John Lewis’ offer to customers over four years.

“The buzz is back in John Lewis and we’re giving our customers even more reasons to shop in our brilliant stores. We’re backing ourselves with significant investment to ensure customers get the exceptional quality, outstanding service, and competitive prices they love about our unique brand.”

Peter Ruis, Executive Director for John Lewis

“I’m delighted to partner with John Lewis to bring our unique Cookery School to life in a flagship location in Central London. This is the next step in growing the footprint of the Jamie Oliver Cookery School across the UK and internationally and central to making Jamie’s stripped back, chef-inspired food accessible to everyone.”

Kevin Styles, Jamie Oliver Group CEO

“John Lewis’ continued investment in Oxford Street and the West End shows that London is a leading location for beauty and fashion retail.

The 2025 opening of the new Jamie Oliver Cookery School and the recent opening of Waterstones will bring an exciting new element to the John Lewis Oxford Street flagship store, improving the shopping and leisure experience for Londoners and tourists alike.

This is exactly the kind of investment we like to see as we start the project of regenerating Oxford Street and continue building a better and more prosperous London for everyone.”

Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth

John Lewis Oxford Street

Today saw the culmination of a £6.5m upgrade of our Oxford Street store to make it a shopping destination for Londoners and tourists visiting one of the world’s most famous streets. The store celebrates its 160 year anniversary with:

• A new, bigger Beauty Hall – this now has 41 beauty counters and shop-in-shop concepts, a 24% increase in footprint, and 175 beauty brands, an increase of 15%. Brands new to the store include The Inkey List, Mac, Skin+Me, Nudestix, and The Ordinary. The revitalisation of the Beauty Hall provides customers with the latest and best counters and services from all of our brands. Customers will also be able to access a huge range of services across beauty, skincare and haircare.

• Fragrance – now has its own beautiful dedicated space, with Kilian, Parfum de Marly, and Loewe making their John Lewis Oxford Street debut.

• A new world of haircare – brands including Dyson, Shark, GHD, will join the likes of Wella Professional, Aveda, and Larry King in the fresh new haircare world discovery area. There are now 35% more hair-related products for sale, with 50% more brands introduced as part of the transformation.

• New Jewellery brands – in a new home on the first floor along with new piercing and jewellery welding services from Tish Lyon, this fresh and elevated part of the store is home to 46 brands. New brands launched are Dinny Hall, Enamel Copenhagen, Sarah Alexander, Hoxton London and Koijis Vintage Jewellery.

• New brands for home – brought in new brands including Ruggable and MADE.com. Existing brands have been elevated, with room sets featuring strongly alongside better navigation and style segmentation.

• Technology and Large Appliances – Further departments will be opened across our six floors. This follows the recent openings of a Waterstones bookshop and a new rooftop restaurant and bar, 1864.

Our Oxford Street store will continue to be a test bed for transformative improvements and changes which will then roll out to the wider portfolio of shops.

Almost 70 customer events will be held between 25-27 October to celebrate the new look Beauty Halls and showcase the improvements across the stores.

A stylish lifestyle range designed by a fine art student, Izaac, is now available online and in John Lewis and Waitrose stores. The new range aims to raise donations to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of young people who are care experienced.

The collection is the latest in the Made by Care range, which has grown from the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme. The programme aims to help care experienced young people improve their employability potential.

Government statistics show that care leavers are three times more likely not to be in education, employment or training (NEET) than other young people.

Izaac’s story

Izaac applied to collaborate with the John Lewis Partnership and creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi, and their talented work was championed by the charity Become.

They worked with the John Lewis in-house design team and creative partners at Saatchi & Saatchi to develop their unique designs, including in a one-on-one workshop.

“Turning my care records into artwork helped me regain authorship over information concealed from me. Inspired by my time in the woods, the branches become my protectors, letting me process and redact information at my own pace.

“As a fine art student, this is an incredible opportunity to help my Art work gain visibility. Made by care is helping me develop my connections and gain experience in the art world – seeing how products are made, working with designers and creatives.”

Izaac, Designer and Fine Art Student

The new gifting range

The gifting range is a must-have choice for presents with a purpose this Christmas and includes three unisex graphic T-shirts (£15), ideal for layering in the winter; as well as a stylish sweatshirt (£30); two silk scarves (£25) – the accessory of AW24 – and a printed statement mug (£6). These items are available online from 23rd October and in John Lewis stores from the 28th October.

The range also includes two printed tote bags (£10) made of recycled bottles, which are available online and in Waitrose stores.

Profits from each product sold will be donated to the Building Happier Futures fund, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership Foundation. All donations will contribute to support our work with Action for Children, Home Start and Who Cares? Scotland building supportive communities for care experienced people, and helping families and carers create happy and secure homes.

The collaborative design-led project will see more products launched in 2025 and beyond, as part of the Partnerships long-term commitment to support Care Experienced young people through the Building Happier Futures programme.

“This collection is beautiful, bringing together unique designs that tell a deeply personal story. It’s exciting to see how this range can be a vehicle for change, and we’re thrilled to offer our customers pieces that are not only beautiful but also champion the talents of designers who are care experienced.”

Rosie Hanley, Director of Brand for John Lewis

“Izaac’s designs tell a unique and personal story. Our customers aren’t just buying a beautifully designed product; they’re investing in a piece that highlights a real societal issue, with the potential to inspire real change. It’s so exciting to see how the Made By Care brand is developing and how this is making a meaningful difference to more lives through the Building Happier Futures programme.”

Ceira Thom, Head of Learning at the John Lewis Partnership

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

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