// John Lewis new CEO Nish Kankiwala tells staff that the partnership must reform its business model “at pace”
// Kankiwala was appointed to the newly created post of chief executive last month
John Lewis new boss Nish Kankiwala has told staff that the partnership must reform its business model “at pace”.
Kankiwala was appointed to the newly created post of chief executive last month by chair Sharon White, to help the retailer to “thrive for another century”.
He said “the way the partnership did business would have to change to make it more efficient and affordable, and that action would have to come at pace”.
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Kankiwala was most recently chief executive of Hovis.
He has spent the majority of his career in FMCG, beginning his career at Unilever before heading up Burger King’s international operations and later becoming the president of Pepsico’s soft drinks business in Europe and Africa.
Kankiwala’s comments come days after the partnership, which includes Waitrose, pushed back against reports that it was exploring a controversial partial demutualisation in an attempt to raise between £1 billion and £2 billion of new investment.
It has debts of £1.7 billion and faces increasing competition from online rivals.
5 Comments. Leave new
I really believe that John Lewis needs to return to its roots and start to deliver exceptional customer service. That’s what its reputation was built on and constantly decreasing the number of partners and closing shops will not achieve this. I worked in John Lewis for 20 years and the wastage was phenominal this has never improved. But putting the customer first and improving the morale of the partners either face to face or on the phone may, just may, build your customer base again.
John Lewis needs to get back to the ethos on which it was founded,it also needs people at the helm who know retail and have stock instore and not keep telling customers to go online.John Lewis used to be what other retailers aspired to with knowledgeable staff who knew their stock inside out,most of the time when shopping there now there are hardly any staff .John Lewis need to get back to basics and do what they used to excel at.
I totally agree with Michelle. When you visit the store you look in vain for a member of staff to help you. If you do find someone, they are very nice and well meaning and they do their best but sometimes it’s obvious they don’t know their stock. if staff were properly trained it would be a more rewarding experience for them and the customer. Also, there is far less selection of merchandise than there used to be. Once you could get everything you needed in John Lewis – the ultimate one stop shop and you didn’t have to trail around, searching for a member of staff to help if you needed it.
Bad feeling they are going to turn John Lewis into Debenhams and who doesn’t know what happened to them.
What is the point of “surviving” if you lose your identity? John Lewis has already dumbed-down, if it becomes like every other retailer, why continue to shop there? First we lose the price guarantee, now they are cutting at the very soul of John Lewis. The “business model” the new regime aspires to hasn’t worked for many retailers. Listen to your customers, listen to retail experts. I don’t think those in charge have a clue what they are doing and Sharon White doesn’t have the appropriate experience. They wouldn’t last five minutes if they were football managers.