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Former Tesco boss and grocery retail veteran Jason Tarry is to succeed Dame Sharon White as the brand new chair of the John Lewis Partnership.
It comes only a month after the employee-owned agency, which runs the division retailer chain and the Waitrose grocery store enterprise, returned to revenue for the primary time in two years.
Mr Tarry, who spent three a long time at Tesco, most just lately as its UK chief govt, will take over in September – six months earlier than the tip of the present chair’s tenure. Dame Sharon is because of depart in February 2025, and can “help the transition as required”, the agency introduced.
Dame Sharon has led a serious overhaul, together with a raft of retailer closures and a shift into new enterprise areas reminiscent of housing, since becoming a member of from Ofcom in 2020. Though her turnaround plan has begun to point out indicators of success, she has confronted criticism over her lack of retail expertise, and introduced her departure in October.
Final month’s outcomes marked solely the second time within the partnership’s historical past that staff didn’t obtain an annual bonus.
Mr Tarry mentioned: “The partnership and its manufacturers stand for belief, worth, high quality and repair and it’s a fantastic privilege to be succeeding Sharon because the seventh chairman.
“The partnership is exclusive and I’ve lengthy been an admirer of the employee-ownership mannequin, its values and partner-led customer support. This begins with a pointy give attention to being sensible retailers for purchasers and investing in development.”
He’ll obtain the identical pay and phrases as his predecessor, the agency mentioned – Dame Sharon was reportedly on a deal price round £1m a yr.
Dame Sharon mentioned: “I’m delighted to be handing over to Jason, who has a mix of implausible retail expertise with management by transformation.
“From my many conversations with Jason, he has demonstrated a transparent appreciation for the partnership mannequin and champions it. I stay up for welcoming him to the partnership in September and finishing up a easy handover.”
Rita Clifton, deputy chair and chair of the nomination committee, mentioned: “The board extends its enormous due to Sharon for efficiently main the partnership by some of the testing intervals in its historical past – first Covid after which the price of dwelling disaster. She has confronted the hardest selections and overseen the partnership’s monetary restoration.
“Because the partnership strikes into the following section of its modernisation centered on our core retail enterprise in addition to future development, we’re assured that Jason will present the type of inspirational management, a confirmed observe report in multi-channel, multi-category retail success, and a robust identification with partnership values that we’re searching for on this function.”
Retail analyst Neil Saunders mentioned: “For my part, this is a wonderful appointment. It addresses the reputable criticism of a scarcity of retail expertise on the prime desk, which turned an enormous level of rivalry throughout Dame Sharon’s tenure.
“It additionally sends a transparent sign that the partnership intends to refocus its efforts on the core of its enterprise, which is strictly what it must do.”
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