Finance
UK supermarket Waitrose says boss James Bailey to step down
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Waitrose MD James Bailey will step down by month's end. Tina Mitchell to serve as interim MD. No specific reason for Bailey's departure was given.
LONDON (Reuters) -British supermarket group Waitrose said on Thursday its boss James Bailey will quit the business at the end of next month.
Bailey has held the managing director role at the upmarket grocer, which is part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, since 2020, steering it through the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
No reason was given by Waitrose for his abrupt departure, though Bailey said: "This feels like the right time to hand over the reins."
Partnership Chairman Jason Tarry, a former Tesco executive, added: "We will be sad to see James go but understand and respect his decision to step down."
Waitrose, which has a 4.4% share of Britain's grocery market, said Tina Mitchell, currently retail director, will become interim managing director when Bailey leaves on September 30.
(Reporting by James Davey, Editing by Paul Sandle)
No reason was given by Waitrose for his abrupt departure, though Bailey stated: 'This feels like the right time to hand over the reins.'
Tina Mitchell, currently the retail director, will become the interim managing director when Bailey leaves on September 30.
Bailey has held the managing director role at Waitrose since 2020, steering the company through the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
Waitrose has a 4.4% share of Britain's grocery market.
Partnership Chairman Jason Tarry, a former Tesco executive, expressed sadness over Bailey's departure but respected his decision.
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