Britain's John Lewis to step up investment as profit trebles

By James Davey

LONDON (Reuters) -British retailer John Lewis Partnership said it would accelerate investment this year as it reported a trebling in annual profit, driven by an improvement in its food business, and forecast more growth as its turnaround plan gains momentum.

The UK's largest employee-owned business, which runs John Lewis department stores and the upmarket Waitrose supermarket chain, said on Thursday it would invest up to 600 million pounds ($777 million) in the business in 2025/26, up from 450 million pounds in its year to January 25.

The partnership is also spending 114 million pounds on a 7.4% pay rise for 65,000 workers, or partners as it calls them. However, for a third straight year it is not paying them an annual bonus.

New chairman Jason Tarry said he saw "significant opportunity for growth" in both brands, though this required "considerable catch-up investment" in stores and the supply chain.

"I am confident with the transformation momentum in the Partnership, we remain well placed to drive further growth in the year ahead and over the longer term," he said.

The department store division in particular has had a difficult few years as it battled the COVID pandemic and then the cost of living crisis. It closed stores and cut jobs.

But the partnership is now benefiting from the plan launched by previous chair Sharon White in 2020 that sought to boost the appeal of its brands and invest in technology, whilst also cutting costs.

White was succeeded in September by former Tesco executive Tarry who is tasked with driving the next phase of the partnership's modernisation at a time when it is facing increased competition from key rival Marks & Spencer.

The partnership made a profit before tax and exceptional items of 126 million pounds in 2024/25, up from 42 million pounds in 2023/24. Sales grew 3% to 12.8 billion pounds, with Waitrose sales up 4.4% and department store sales flat.

It expects the macroeconomic environment "to continue to be challenging", but forecast a further increase in profit in 2025/26.

($1 = 0.7724 pounds)

(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Sarah Young, Catarina Demony and Susan Fenton)