// John Lewis Partnership COO Andrew Murphy is to depart the group after 30 years
// Murphy started off working on the shop floor of John Lewis’ Aberdeen store
John Lewis Partnership chief operating officer Andrew Murphy is set to leave the retail group after 30 years.
Murphy, one of the most experienced retailers at the group, will leave next summer.
He said his decision to leave was sparked by a “WTAF moment” after realising he had hit the 30 year milestone at the retail group.
Murphy wrote on LinkedIn: “I’ve never dwelt on my age or anyone else’s. But there was something about hitting 50 that seemed to aggressively shatter any illusion I might have had that time – my time – was unlimited.
“It shouted at me like no ‘milestone’ ever had; “Tick tock…”
“Then, late last year, I started to become overly aware that – by August 2022 – I’d have been with the John Lewis Partnership for 30 years. From the gates of university. “WTAF?!” as my (otherwise fairly well spoken) kids would say.”
He joked: “Until ‘The Thing With 50′ I spent most of my days feeling like I was 28 years old, so this ’30-years-in-one-company’ thing felt like it shouldn’t really be possible.”
Murphy said that he “never wanted this to be my only – or final – gig”, so last week told John Lewis Partnership chair Dame Sharon White of his intention to step down.
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Murphy, who joined the Partnership working on the shop floor of John Lewis’ Aberdeen store, climbed up the ranks and has held key roles such as retail director at the department store and group productivity and change director, before becoming CIO in 2018.
He added supply chain and property to his responsibilities in 2020 when he took the role of executive director of operations.
Murphy helped to steer John Lewis and Waitrose through the pandemic.
White said that he had been “a huge source of support and guidance” to the Partnership board and executive team, whose memberships have been entirely refreshed during his time as an executive director.
She added: “From his pivotal role in establishing JL as the UK’s pre-eminent omnichannel retailer, as JL retail director, to his leadership of the Partnership as group COO, navigating us so successfully through the pandemic, we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
It was unclear whether the Partnership will replace Murphy directly.
It is thought that chair Dame Sharon White is considering devolving supply chain responsibility back to the individual John Lewis and Waitrose businesses.
Murphy is understood to have been planning to step down for some time, however, news of his departure comes as Waitrose is reported to be experiencing supply issues in store following a bungled IT integration.
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