// John Lewis chair reassures customers after facing backlash over its plans to dilute the 100% staff-owned model
// Sharon White: “The strength of our brands – John Lewis and Waitrose – isn’t an accident of being a Partnership, It is because we are a Partnership”
Following the news that John Lewis Partnership is mulling diluting its partnership structure, chair Dame Sharon White has written a message to customers amid backlash from MPs and industry experts over the potential plans.
In a lengthy statement on Linkedin, White said: “When John Spedan Lewis handed over his business to his employees to create a Partnership he described it as a ‘radical experiment’.
“Seventy-five years on and the experiment continues. As Chairman, I’m Chief Trustee of the Partnership, responsible for ensuring the Partnership model not only survives but thrives for another 75 years.”
READ MORE: Richard Hyman: John Lewis – demutualisation will not fix a broken Partnership
“The strength of our brands – John Lewis and Waitrose – isn’t an accident of being a Partnership, she continued.
“It is because we are a Partnership. It is the reason that brilliant customer service, quality, value and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do.
“Our Partners (we don’t call ourselves employees) give more because we own the business, and have a say in how it is run; as we also operate as a democracy.”
She adds that “customers trust us because they know when they shop with us that they are getting independent, impartial and expert advice from Partners who own the business.”
“Being a Partnership is what got us through the pandemic. It’s what’s getting us through the biggest cost of living crisis in generations.”
She goes onto say that she’s “hugely grateful” to its customers for staying loyal, added “I do not take that for granted.”
“In seeking what’s best for our business and our Partners, if we were to consider working with others that had implications for how we’re set up, we’d of course discuss it with our Partners first.”
She finishes off the statement by stressing that as Chairman, she has the responsibility and the privilege of ensuring “everything we do is in the best interest of the Partnership.”
“The Partnership will continue to evolve and change shape, as it has since its creation. What will remain a constant is our ownership of the business.”
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