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.

Izaac’s story

Izaac applied to collaborate with the John Lewis Partnership and creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi, and their talented work was championed by the charity Become.

They worked with the John Lewis in-house design team and creative partners at Saatchi & Saatchi to develop their unique designs, including in a one-on-one workshop.

“Turning my care records into artwork helped me regain authorship over information concealed from me. Inspired by my time in the woods, the branches become my protectors, letting me process and redact information at my own pace.

“As a fine art student, this is an incredible opportunity to help my Art work gain visibility. Made by care is helping me develop my connections and gain experience in the art world – seeing how products are made, working with designers and creatives.”

Izaac, Designer and Fine Art Student

The new gifting range

The gifting range is a must-have choice for presents with a purpose this Christmas and includes three unisex graphic T-shirts (£15), ideal for layering in the winter; as well as a stylish sweatshirt (£30); two silk scarves (£25) – the accessory of AW24 – and a printed statement mug (£6). These items are available online from 23rd October and in John Lewis stores from the 28th October.

The range also includes two printed tote bags (£10) made of recycled bottles, which are available online and in Waitrose stores.

Profits from each product sold will be donated to the Building Happier Futures fund, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership Foundation. All donations will contribute to support our work with Action for Children, Home Start and Who Cares? Scotland building supportive communities for care experienced people, and helping families and carers create happy and secure homes.

The collaborative design-led project will see more products launched in 2025 and beyond, as part of the Partnerships long-term commitment to support Care Experienced young people through the Building Happier Futures programme.

“This collection is beautiful, bringing together unique designs that tell a deeply personal story. It’s exciting to see how this range can be a vehicle for change, and we’re thrilled to offer our customers pieces that are not only beautiful but also champion the talents of designers who are care experienced.”

Rosie Hanley, Director of Brand for John Lewis

“Izaac’s designs tell a unique and personal story. Our customers aren’t just buying a beautifully designed product; they’re investing in a piece that highlights a real societal issue, with the potential to inspire real change. It’s so exciting to see how the Made By Care brand is developing and how this is making a meaningful difference to more lives through the Building Happier Futures programme.”

Ceira Thom, Head of Learning at the John Lewis Partnership

Our Building Happier Futures programme, which supports care experienced people into work and education, has also raised £2.2m since its launch in 2022, celebrated today at the launch of the second annual impact report.

The Building Happier Futures programme aims to offer employability support to care experienced people, including work experience, CV writing and interview skills to ultimately create job opportunities.

Ahead of Care Leavers Week, the report launched highlights milestones achieved since the programme’s inception in 2022, including:

• Over 600 Partners (employees of the John Lewis Partnership) completed care experience learning with Who Cares? Scotland, deepening their understanding to become proactive allies.

• 550 care experienced people have engaged in the Building Happier Futures employability programme

• We were named The Fostering Network’s 2023 Employer of the Year, as well as becoming a Silver Standard Kinship Friendly Employer with national charity, Kinship.

• Partnering again with the Open University, we jointly fund 8 student scholarships for young, care experienced people in 2024; taking our total to 12 scholarships since 2023.

• The Building Happier Futures programme moved to sit as a Fund, as part of the John Lewis Partnership Foundation. The change allows that, alongside supporting our existing charity partners, we can now award grants to UK projects that provide education, connection, experience and fun for care experienced people.

“I’m very proud to introduce the second Building Happier Futures annual report. In the last year, we’ve continued to collaborate and learn from experts in the community to make sure our work is credible and sustainable.

We continue to work with local authorities, charities and trusts to create employment opportunities for young people and remain passionate about being the employer of choice for individuals with care experience.”

Ceira Thom, Head of Learning, Inclusion and Belonging

“As I reflect on the progress that is being made and the impact that the Building Happier Futures programme has had two years in, it reinforces my belief in our Partnership as a truly different kind of business, which places our purpose; to work in partnership for a happier world, at its heart.

A genuine thank you to all those involved in realising our 2024 impacts; we’re only two years in but we’re building momentum and are excited to see where we’ll all be a further 12 months from now.”

Jo Rackham, Interim Executive Director, People, at the John Lewis Partnership

“We’re determined to deliver the best life chances for all children and make sure they have the support they need to thrive.

We know that for many young people, leaving care can be intimidating and overwhelming, which is why it’s fantastic to see the work that the John Lewis Partnership is doing to support care experienced young people with opportunities to build their skills and fulfil their potential.

We will continue to make the transition out of care as a smooth as possible by helping care leavers to access accommodation, jobs and practical and emotional help.”

Janet Daby, Minister for Children & Families

Thoughts from our charity partners

“Action for Children’s vision is that every child and young person has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive. Our work with the John Lewis Partnership is helping more care experienced children and young people to have the stability they need and deserve.

We are so proud to be in partnership on the Building Happier Futures programme to inspire more support for young people with care experience now and in the future.”

Paul Carberry, Chief Executive at Action for Children

“The Building Happier Futures programme has had a significant impact since it launched, and has continued to grow from strength to strength over the last year. The funds raised have enabled us to offer more moments of happiness to our members than ever before – including our Care Family Christmas, Carelidh and Summer Camp.

The benefits of bringing Care Experienced people together in connection and belonging cannot be overstated. However, the impact of the programme goes much deeper with John Lewis Partnership investing in Care Aware training for partners to ensure that their workplace is somewhere that Care Experienced people can thrive.

Alongside this, it has been a privilege to sit on the Building Happier Future’s Advisory Board, to come together to influence the future of Care Experienced people all over the UK. The partnership has achieved amazing things so far, and I am excited to see how much we can achieve together going forward.”

Louise Hunter, CEO, Who Cares? Scotland

“Building Happier Futures continues to have a huge impact for the fostering community across the UK. As a Fostering Friendly employer, the John Lewis Partnership is providing vital support to partners who foster and those going through the approval process.

We need to recruit and retain foster carers now more than ever and JLP have helped spread this urgent call to new audiences. With the majority of care experienced children in the UK living in fostering families, the impact of initiatives like this cannot be underestimated.

The John Lewis Partnership is leading the way as a socially responsible employer and others should follow in their footsteps.”

Sarah Thomas, Chief Executive of The Fostering Network

“The pivotal role that apprenticeships play in nurturing talent, and fostering skills for life was very evident yesterday (at our event).  

“While the apprenticeship programme is undeniably a catalyst for learning and development, it could still go further and deliver so much more.  We would welcome reforms to make training and apprenticeships much more flexible and relevant to our future skills needs. 

“For example, it would open up the possibility of a pre-employment course to help potential apprentices reach the required level to start a full apprenticeship, or pre-employment training for vulnerable groups such as those who are care experienced to support them into work.”  

Ceira Thom, Head of Learning and Inclusion and Belonging at the John Lewis Partnership