John Lewis’ chair, Sharon White, was left bruised but not defeated following a de-facto vote of her leadership credentials today.
Employees, also known as partners, held two non-binding votes on White’s decisions over the past year, and the confidence of her leadership moving forward.
The 61 partners that form the partnership council voted in favour of the direction of the company but were not too pleased with choices made over the last 12 months.
Partners may have expressed their unhappiness of employees not receiving a bonus and the ditching of its ‘never knowingly undersold’ slogan in favour of ‘For all life’s moments’.
White had also previously hinted at outside investment to aid the retailer which posted a loss of £234mln last year, which would have brought an end to its 73 years of 100% employee ownership.
However, she ruled out this option, stating: “The John Lewis Partnership will always be an employee-owned business.”
A move into the ‘build to rent’ property business has begun as it looks to diversify revenue streams which have taken a battering amid the backdrop of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.