THE HISTORY OF JOHN LEWIS

The John Lewis Partnership is a visionary and successful way of doing business, boldly putting the happiness of Partners at the center of everything they do. It's a different sort of company, owned by Partners dedicated to serving customers with flair and fairness. 85,000 permanent staff are Partners who own 50 John Lewis shops across the UK, 348 Waitrose supermarkets, an online and catalog business, a production unit, and a farm. The business has annual gross sales of over £11.5bn, Partners share in the benefits of a business that puts them first. 

John Lewis was founded in 1864 as a shop on Londons Oxford Street selling goods such as Lyon silk and Calais lace and today is known as one of the UK's best-loved companies whose services cover all things homeware, fashion, health & beauty, baby & child, electrical & tech and financial.

The John Lewis Flagship store on London's Oxford Street in 1864.

Pictured: Founder, John Spedan Lewis

When John Spedan Lewis set up the Partnership he was careful to create a governance system that would be both commercial allowing them to quickly stay ahead in a competitive industry, and democratic giving every Partner a voice in the business they co-own. John Lewis was named most admired British company for honesty and trust and its legacy is attributed to Spedan and his lifelong experiment for social justice and business ingenuity.

Pictured: The Council - a democratic move to include the buyers and managers - a partnership for all.