The John Lewis boss will face a vote of confidence on Wednesday amid growing anger from employees at her leadership.
It comes after Dame Sharon White said she was considering selling a stake in the retailer, meaning it would no longer be fully owned by its employees.
John Lewis is trying to reignite growth after posting a huge loss last year and suspending his employee bonus.
However, with job cuts looming, employees can use the semi-annual vote — which is non-binding — to push for change.
John Lewis employees – also known as partners – not only have a stake in the company, they also have a voice in the way it is run.
They elect council members who meet twice a year to review the company’s performance and give a vote of confidence to its leadership.
Wednesday’s vote will take place during the all-day meeting at the Odney Club, a John Lewis-owned retreat near Maidenhead in Berkshire.
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The vote comes at an awkward time for Dame Sharon, who became Chair in 2020 and is trying to turn the tide of the chain.
John Lewis has struggled to compete with high street rivals like Amazon and Primark, while his supermarket chain Waitrose has outperformed Tesco and Aldi during the cost-of-living crisis.
The partnership posted its first annual loss of £517m in 2020 and has since announced a series of store closures. There are also plans to cut costs by £900m by January 2026 and there are likely to be job cuts.
The retailer caused trouble in March when it informed its approximately 85,000 partners that they would have to forego a bonus for the second time in three years.
According to a survey of less than 1,000 employees at the time, around 85% said they were not confident in the company’s ability to execute on its strategy.
Dame Sharon has suggested ways the partnership could reignite growth, including by building apartments above John Lewis shops.
She has also hinted that she would consider raising funds by selling a stake in the company, sparking a negative reaction from retail pundits.
In March, brand expert Mary Portas wrote an open letter to the partnership, saying John Lewis was one of the “most cherished, loved and trusted retail brands” in the UK but had “let go” of his soul.
Meanwhile Andy Street, who was the retailer’s chief executive from 2007 to 2016, said the change would be a “tragedy” if it happened.
John Lewis has said its partnership model “will always be at the heart of our business” and there’s no guarantee it will seek outside investment.
On Wednesday, however, Dame Sharon and other executives will be quizzed by council members about the retailer’s performance as part of the semi-annual meeting.
Council members will then vote on two motions – one on whether the Council has confidence in the progress of the partnership led by the Chair over the past year, and the other on whether it can support the Chair in moving the deal forward.
Members can respond on a scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” opening the door to possible rebellion.
While the John Lewis Partnership has the power to remove the Chair by filing a resolution on the Partnership’s charter, this outcome is considered unlikely.
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