The John Lewis Partnership has appointed Jason Tarry as its next Chairman. He will replace Sharon White, who announced last October that she would be stepping down after a difficult period for the owner of the John Lewis and Waitrose chains.
Tarry worked at Tesco for 33 years and was most recently its UK & Ireland Chief Executive, a position he held for six years. He stepped down from the role last month to be replaced by former Aldi executive Matthew Barnes,
Tarry is poised to take up the JLP role in September when White will step down several months before the official end of her term. The group stated that she would “support the transition as required”.
White’s resignation after less than five years made her the shortest-serving Chairman in the JLP’s history and followed a tumultuous few years for the business. The former Ofcom boss had never worked in retail before joining JLP and attracted criticism for focusing too much on non-retail projects, including building homes and expanding financial services, while the group’s main business struggled.
JLP recently reported a return to annual profit due to higher sales in its supermarket business and cost savings, with further improvement forecast for this year. However, its workers missed out on their bonus for the second year in a row as the group focused investment on improving its operations.
Rita Clifton, Deputy Chairman and Chair of the Nomination Committee, commented: “The Board extends its huge thanks to Sharon for successfully leading the Partnership through one of the most testing periods in its history – first Covid and then the cost of living crisis.
“She has faced into the toughest decisions and overseen the Partnership’s financial recovery; we are in good financial health with a return to profit, and have a strong balance sheet with record investment planned this year.”
She added: “As the Partnership moves into the next phase of its modernisation focused on our core retail business as well future growth, we are confident that Jason will provide the kind of inspirational leadership, a proven track record in multi-channel, multi-category retail success and a strong identification with Partnership values that we are seeking in this role.”
Tarry added: “The Partnership and its brands stand for trust, value, quality and service, and it’s a great privilege to be succeeding Sharon as the seventh Chairman. The Partnership is unique, and I’ve long been an admirer of the employee-ownership model, its values and Partner-led customer service.
“This starts with a sharp focus on being brilliant retailers for customers and investing in growth. I’m looking forward to working with the Board, Nish and the Executive Team to deliver its clear strategy.”
NAM Implications:
- At last, some heavyweight retail experience for the JLP Board.
- With a stated objective of ‘a sharp focus on being brilliant retailers for customers and investing in growth’.
- Watch this Waitrose space in particular…
