John Lewis has denied claims it is planning to cut any more jobs and restructure its management team, calling the suggestion “wholly inaccurate”.
The high street giant, which this month will welcome Jason Tarry as its new chair as Dame Sharon White steps down, is undergoing a major restructuring to its partnership model after several years of poor performance.
Announced last month, the shake-up will see bosses at John Lewis Partnership (JLP), the company that owns John Lewis and supermarket chain Waitrose, cut the firm’s headcount by 153 roles.
The cuts, which JLP hopes will largely come from voluntary redundancies, represent roughly one per cent of its current workforce, and were announced alongside a root and branch revamp of the firm’s technology and working patterns.
But JLP has now been forced to deny it was planning to make further job cuts, after a report in The Sunday Times claimed a revamp of management teams at 34 of its stores would lead to even more cuts to staff, including management posts.
A spokesperson for JLP said: “It is wholly inaccurate to suggest there are plans for further role reductions than the 153 previously announced to our Partners last month. There are no current plans to reduce management roles at John Lewis.”
The already-announced cuts and revamp were the latest attempt from JLP to adapt to the modern retail landscape after several difficult years.
The firm, which operates under a partnership model, whereby its staff own a stake in the company, has failed to pay an annual bonus three times in four years, and according to corporate filings, it was forced to shed 3,500 jobs in 2023.
The JLP spokesperson added: “The previously announced changes are designed to make the running of our shops more flexible, create more fulfilling jobs for partners and to offer even better customer service by having partners in the right place, at the right time.”
Separate to the latest restructuring, JLP is also expected to announce a merging of its Waitrose and John Lewis loyalty schemes, in an attempt to encourage consumers to spend across both retail outlets.