Almost a quarter of staff representatives voted against John Lewis boss Sharon White in a crucial confidence vote this week, it has emerged, raising questions about her plan to return the owner of 34 department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain to profitability.
Details of the vote count, published on the John Lewis Partnership website on Friday night, revealed a significant rebellion at the employee-owned business. Of the 55 members of the staff council who voted, 24% were against the former civil servant continuing to lead the business, while 92% said they did not support her performance over the past year.The rebellion came after a £243m loss last year that left staff without a bonus. White said she had decided against short-term fixes, but what options does she have to turn the high street favourite’s fortunes around?
