John Lewis to trim staff committee amid turnaround efforts

John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is said to be preparing to cut down its senior staff committee as it looks to accelerate turnaround efforts. The British department store is reportedly reducing its committee members from 57 to 43, according to the Telegraph.

The committee is formed of elected members of staff that contribute to JLP’s democratic structure by providing input into how the business is run.

The decision to cut down on members was due to the current structure relying “too heavily on hierarchy and escalation”, John Lewis is believed to have told staff.

Instead, the retailer is understood to be bringing back local forums, through which employees at both John Lewis and Waitrose can submit views.

Slimming down the committee seemingly comes as part of John Lewis’ plan to ramp up turnaround efforts, with a particular focus on speeding up productivity and decision-making.

Such efforts appear to be paying off, however. For the year ended January 25, 2025, the company reported a 73 percent uptick in profit to 97 million pounds, showing that “customers are responding well to our investments in quality products, value and service”, chairman Jason Tarry said at the time.

Despite a surge in profit, JLP opted to not reinstate staff bonuses for a third consecutive year, citing a plan to invest 114 million pounds in increasing pay for employees, as well as a 600 million pounds transformation investment, as the reasons.

Since this announcement, an employee-led petition has been launched demanding for the return of bonuses, to which JLP responded that it was “determined to pay one as soon as possible”.

FashionUnited has contacted John Lewis with a request to comment.