The boss of John Lewis pledged the group will always remain employee-owned, “no ifs, no buts”, after staff backed her to continue as chair but expressed their dismay at the retailer’s poor performance.
Dame Sharon White had faced controversy after reports she was considering selling a stake in the John Lewis Partnership, which also owns Waitrose, to an outside investor in an attempt to raise £2bn. On Wednesday, her leadership was tested in a confidence vote at a twice-yearly meeting of the retailer’s 60-strong council, which is elected by employees to represent them.
