The John Lewis Partnership has turned to Tesco veteran Jason Tarry to replace Dame Sharon White as chairman and revive the troubled group’s fortunes (The Times £).
Tarry, a 33-year Tesco veteran who first joined the retailer as part of its graduate programme in 1990, will be tasked with leading the partnership’s turnaround as it attempts to slash costs and revive lacklustre sales (The Mail).
John Lewis has appointed a chairman with decades of retail experience to steer the next phase of its turnaround, after breaking with tradition to remove Dame Sharon White’s right to name her successor (The Telegraph £).
Staff at the company that owns John Lewis and Waitrose have been told to brace for a cultural shake-up after the retailer recruited the former UK boss of Tesco to lead its recovery (The Guardian).
Another article in The Mail says the appointment was seen as a triumph for the group as it strives to rebuild staff morale and win back disillusioned shoppers.
The Telegraph (£) examines why John Lewis has turned to retail experience as it replaces Dame Sharon White. The paper calls Tarry ‘British retail royalty’ and says he is tasked with refocusing the company back to its core business
The Times (£) also runs a profile of Tarry and writes the Tesco lifer has experience to get the retailer back on track but he’ll now be competing with more upmarket rivals.
The Guardian’s business editorial reckons Tarry is just what the John Lewis Partnership needs. “After years of losses or low profits JLP has picked a chair who has deep experience of retailing at its most brutally competitive,” the paper writes.
The editorial in The Mail warns that running partnership-owned firms is “no walk in the park”.
The Daily Bread blog in The Grocer calls Tarry “is a fantastic appointment” but warns there remains a lot of work to be done at the partnership. Read the full blog here.
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