Revolutionary Ideas

It wasn’t long before Spedan became uneasy that he, his brother and his father were receiving more income from the family business than all their employees put together. After a riding accident forced him to have two operations and a long period of recovery, he thought deeply about his own future and that of the business. He was eager to share his profits with his staff and to redistribute money which was being kept in reserve.

In order to do this, Spedan decided he would have to make the business into a limited liability company, distributing the profits to the employees in the form of shares in proportion to their pay. His father’s reaction to this suggestion – and to his inevitable smaller share of the retained profits – was somewhat negative.

The Experiment

It was in 1914 that John Lewis Senior handed over the entire managerial control of the Peter Jones shop to Spedan, who became the shop’s chairman and its nominal managing director. He was then free to start putting his forward-thinking ideas into practice. However, his father made him continue to work until 5pm at the Oxford Street shop, and the Peter Jones business was doing badly.

Spedan’s first move was to shorten the working day by an hour and to start a departmental system of commission. He also set up the staff committees in which elected representatives held regular meetings with him in the absence of their managers. This system is still in operation.

Spedan had a serious disagreement with his father in 1916 that was to shape the future of the John Lewis Partnership. He withdrew from active participation in the Oxford Street shop and swapped his quarter-share of the business for his father’s controlling holding in the capital of Peter Jones Limited.

Over the next few years he made further changes at Peter Jones, giving the staff a third week’s holiday, taking on unusually well educated people for management posts, and starting The Gazette (our internal news publication which is still published in the Partnership today).

In 1919 he set up a staff council (the forerunner of today’s Partnership, Divisional and Branch Councils). His employee-ownership and democratic business model ideas were starting to flourish and Peter Jones was commercially, all the better for it.

Family & Business

Spedan Lewis married Sarah Beatrice Mary Hunter in 1923. She was one of five women graduates recruited as buyers the previous year and became deputy chairman of the Partnership after their marriage. They had three children: John, who sadly died as a child, Jill (1927-68) and Edward (1929-2008).

Spedan’s mother died in 1924 and the long disagreement between him and his father was made up. In 1926, Oswald gave his brother his share in the Oxford Street shop, and control of both stores passed to Spedan, although his father was still very much involved with the day-to-day running of the business. Spedan immediately started to apply his ‘Partnership’ ideals to the Oxford Street shop as well, and bought the Odney Club at Cookham, Berkshire, in the same year (one of 5 Partnership hotels that we still enjoy today).

John Lewis Senior died in 1928, aged 92, leaving Spedan sole owner of both stores. He expanded his shop still further down Oxford Street. He also converted the John Lewis firm into a public company – John Lewis and Company Limited – creating capital for expansion.

The Partnership is Born

On 18 April 1929 Spedan Lewis signed the First Trust Settlement, transferring his own shares in John Lewis Ltd, Peter Jones Ltd and the Odney Estate to a board of trustees on behalf of the Partners. He also created the John Lewis Partnership Limited.

In return he would receive bonds worth £1 million over the following 30 years. He retained complete practical control but took no more income from the business.

Twenty-one years later, on 26 April 1950, Spedan signed the Second Trust Settlement, effectively ‘giving’ the Partnership to the people who work in it. By this act he transferred all his remaining shares and his ultimate control to the trustees. The John Lewis Partnership expanded during the remainder of the 20th century into the business we know today.

Waitrose Joins the Partnership

The Partnership bought Waitrose Ltd in October 1937. At the time it was a London-based family business with 10 grocery and provisions shops employing 164 staff. Wallace Wyndham Waite, who had opened his first shop with Arthur Rose and David Taylor in 1904, was still in charge.

The three men had started trading in Acton, west London. Their original shop soon expanded, and reopened in much larger premises in 1908, selling everything from fish to flowers. By 1920 there were more than 20 Waitrose shops throughout London and the Home Counties, but many shops had closed by 1930 after a decade of more difficult trading conditions.

The Partnership was attracted to Waitrose, said Spedan Lewis, by its ‘high reputation not only for the quality of its goods but also for the way in which it has been built up… It is no secret that many provision shops… have owed a good deal of their success to the bribing of servants of their customers. Messrs Waitrose Limited have never used any such methods.’

We All Own It

From a small drapers shop on Oxford Street to truly revolutionary ideas, the John Lewis Partnership today stands as a profound testament to the foresight of Spedan Lewis and his belief that a better way of doing business could be found. One that benefits its Partners, customers, suppliers and the world as a whole.

In an ever-changing 21st-century retail landscape, this enduring model of ownership remains our deepest strength. It is a structure where every individual is a Partner, with a shared stake in the collective future. This spirit, forged through a history of overcoming challenges, ensures that the Partnership, gifted by its founder to the people who work in it, remains strong, resilient, and ready to face the future and is anchored in unwavering conviction of our unique purpose – Working in Partnership for a Happier World.

Welcome Break

We’re targeting more new locations under our franchise with Welcome Break. New stores are opening on the A14 in Spaldwick, Cambridgeshire this month and on the M1 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as part of a brand new Welcome Break motorway services in January. A third location will open in 2025 with more planned if successful.

We have worked in partnership with Welcome Break since 2009 and at present trade Little Waitrose from 27 of its motorway service areas. The new stores will be the first we’ve opened with them for eleven years.

Shell

Additionally, Waitrose has now reached more than 100 Shell forecourt shops it supplies throughout the UK, with plans to add to further new locations in 2025.

Waitrose Hampton Hill

The two extended partnerships come as we open our first new Waitrose shop in six years with a new convenience shop in Hampton Hill in south west London. It will become the 47th Waitrose-operated convenience shop.

Whilst focus will initially be on opening smaller, more typical convenience stores of 3,000 sq ft, like Hampton Hill, we’re also looking at opportunities for larger convenience stores around double that size too.

The Hampton Hill store also signals the role our partnerships with Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat will continue to play in reaching a wider audience as it becomes the first Waitrose convenience shop to feature a hatch to allow delivery riders to make collections more easily.

The hatches are being trialled with a view to them becoming a key feature of Waitrose shops with average weekly on-demand grocery sales currently up by 115% compared to this time last year.

“The long associated stereotypes of food at forecourts and service stations are becoming a thing of the past – expectation has moved on and customers are rightfully demanding more. They want great tasting, quality food no matter where they are. Through new store openings and strategic partnerships we will continue to evolve our shops to get better and better, whilst reaching new locations that help bring Waitrose great quality, service and value closer to more customers.”

James Bailey, Executive Director for Waitrose

“We’re delighted to be opening Little Waitrose at our Spaldwick services on the A14. This will be our first Little Waitrose in a forecourt environment and a fantastic addition to the local area. Customers will now be able to stop off on their journey and select from a great range of quality Waitrose products. Our partnership with Waitrose has been incredibly prosperous and we look forward to opening more Little Waitrose stores in the coming years across the Welcome Break network.”

Adrian Grimes, Commercial Director for Welcome Break

About Waitrose

Run by over 45,000 passionate Partners, Waitrose has been serving customers for 120 years and offers extraordinary products in more than 300 shops and on Waitrose.com. We are committed to selling products which have been responsibly sourced, grown using the very best sustainable farming methods, some of which are grown or trialled on our very own farm, the Leckford Estate. In 2024, Waitrose was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment to be Grocers and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.

About Welcome Break

Welcome Break is one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, running 59 service areas and 31 hotels up and down the country. With 24-hour fuel courts, EV charging, and world-class food and retail brands including Waitrose, Starbucks, KFC, and Burger King, we welcome over 85 million customers every year.

Bigger and better beauty halls

Our flagship John Lewis store on Oxford Street, as well as stores in High Wycombe and Cheadle, are the first to benefit from significant investment with brand new and bigger Beauty Halls.

Beyond beauty, Oxford Street has had significant improvements to all corners of its six floors including home, tech, jewellery, large electricals, and more.

John Lewis is the UK’s leading quality beauty retailer, thanks to our strong presence both in stores and online, along with our commitment to offering expert advice from our team of beauty professionals.

John Lewis beauty sales in the first half of this year were up almost 7% on the same time last year.

Jamie Oliver cookery school

We’re also announcing today a partnership with Britain’s best known chef Jamie Oliver, to bring his new flagship Cookery School and Cafe to John Lewis Oxford Street in spring 2025.

Spanning over 4,600 sq ft, the school will have two classrooms hosting over 40 lessons as well as a 50-seat cafe. As part of his mission to teach children to cook, Jamie will continue to provide free cookery lessons for children during the school holidays.

The opening of Waterstones books in John Lewis Oxford Street earlier this month forms part of an £800m injection in John Lewis’ offer to customers over four years.

“The buzz is back in John Lewis and we’re giving our customers even more reasons to shop in our brilliant stores. We’re backing ourselves with significant investment to ensure customers get the exceptional quality, outstanding service, and competitive prices they love about our unique brand.”

Peter Ruis, Executive Director for John Lewis

“I’m delighted to partner with John Lewis to bring our unique Cookery School to life in a flagship location in Central London. This is the next step in growing the footprint of the Jamie Oliver Cookery School across the UK and internationally and central to making Jamie’s stripped back, chef-inspired food accessible to everyone.”

Kevin Styles, Jamie Oliver Group CEO

“John Lewis’ continued investment in Oxford Street and the West End shows that London is a leading location for beauty and fashion retail.

The 2025 opening of the new Jamie Oliver Cookery School and the recent opening of Waterstones will bring an exciting new element to the John Lewis Oxford Street flagship store, improving the shopping and leisure experience for Londoners and tourists alike.

This is exactly the kind of investment we like to see as we start the project of regenerating Oxford Street and continue building a better and more prosperous London for everyone.”

Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth

John Lewis Oxford Street

Today saw the culmination of a £6.5m upgrade of our Oxford Street store to make it a shopping destination for Londoners and tourists visiting one of the world’s most famous streets. The store celebrates its 160 year anniversary with:

• A new, bigger Beauty Hall – this now has 41 beauty counters and shop-in-shop concepts, a 24% increase in footprint, and 175 beauty brands, an increase of 15%. Brands new to the store include The Inkey List, Mac, Skin+Me, Nudestix, and The Ordinary. The revitalisation of the Beauty Hall provides customers with the latest and best counters and services from all of our brands. Customers will also be able to access a huge range of services across beauty, skincare and haircare.

• Fragrance – now has its own beautiful dedicated space, with Kilian, Parfum de Marly, and Loewe making their John Lewis Oxford Street debut.

• A new world of haircare – brands including Dyson, Shark, GHD, will join the likes of Wella Professional, Aveda, and Larry King in the fresh new haircare world discovery area. There are now 35% more hair-related products for sale, with 50% more brands introduced as part of the transformation.

• New Jewellery brands – in a new home on the first floor along with new piercing and jewellery welding services from Tish Lyon, this fresh and elevated part of the store is home to 46 brands. New brands launched are Dinny Hall, Enamel Copenhagen, Sarah Alexander, Hoxton London and Koijis Vintage Jewellery.

• New brands for home – brought in new brands including Ruggable and MADE.com. Existing brands have been elevated, with room sets featuring strongly alongside better navigation and style segmentation.

• Technology and Large Appliances – Further departments will be opened across our six floors. This follows the recent openings of a Waterstones bookshop and a new rooftop restaurant and bar, 1864.

Our Oxford Street store will continue to be a test bed for transformative improvements and changes which will then roll out to the wider portfolio of shops.

Almost 70 customer events will be held between 25-27 October to celebrate the new look Beauty Halls and showcase the improvements across the stores.