John Lewis and Waitrose are set to shed around 1,000 jobs as moves are made to rationalise its store management structure and related costs. The business says that it is consulting with affected ‘partners’ and seeking to redeploy as many as possible to other roles.
A spokesperson for the partnership said: “We have announced to our partners our intention to simplify our management structures in Waitrose and John Lewis stores, which will allow us to reinvest in what matters most to our customers.”
JLP reported a £517m annual loss earlier this year after the impact of lockdowns. This has magnified the need for the organisation to reduce its annual operating costs by a targeted £300m, by 2022. The retailer has trimmed its store count in favour of developing its online channels with a £50m investment but has come under fire for its heavy-handed treatment of third party brands which sell via its site. This has seen it lose brands like Seasalt which are unwilling to pay the high fees demanded by JLP, opting instead to focus their efforts with Marks and Spencer and Next which offer more favourable rates.
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