John Lewis has outlined plans to cut head office roles between now and April 2021 in an effort to save £50m.
The announcement is part of a five-year plan to return the partnership to sustainable profits by 2025. The job losses contribute to the retailer’s target of making £300m in annual savings by 2022, through “operational efficiencies”.
The first two years of the plan focus on strengthening the Waitrose and John Lewis retail businesses, backed by £1bn investments in customer service and experience in store and online.
Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Our Partnership Plan sets a course to create a thriving and sustainable business for the future. To achieve this we must be agile and able to adapt quickly to the changing needs of our customers.
“Losing Partners is incredibly hard as an employee-owned business. Wherever possible, we will seek to find new roles in the Partnership and we’ll provide the best support and retraining opportunities for Partners who leave us.”
The news on further job losses comes after the retailer announced earlier this year that it would be closing eight stores, putting around 1,300 jobs at risk.
The retailer has also announced that Patrick Lewis, executive director, finance, has decided to leave the partnership at the end of the year, following a 26-year career with the partnership. He will be succeeded by Bérangère Michel, currently executive director, customer service, and former finance director for John Lewis.
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