John Lewis appoints Paula Nickolds as first female managing director
Department store group’s new boss – who joined partnership as a graduate trainee 22 years ago – will take over in January
John Lewis has promoted Paula Nickolds, who joined the company as a graduate trainee, to be the first female managing director in the department store group’s 152-year history.
Nickolds, 43, will take over from Andy Street in January. She has worked for the retail group for 22 years,, joining as a graduate trainee in the haberdashery of the Oxford Street store in London.
Heading one of the UK’s biggest and most respected retail brands, Nickolds will be one of only a handful of female bosses in an industry in which more than half of employees are women. Only Véronique Laury, head of B&Q owner Kingfisher, and Katie Bickerstaffe, head of Dixons Carphone’s UK and Irish business, hold comparable roles.
After working her way up through the ranks, Nickolds joined the John Lewis management board as buying and brand director in 2013. She is currently commercial director with responsibility for rejuvenating John Lewis’s product ranges and the look and feel of its shops as well as its international partnerships.
Nickolds takes over at a tricky period for the department store, where profits slumped 31% to £32m in the first half of this year as it struggled to adapt to the shift to online shopping.
She will have to help increase morale and find a
way to maintain the group’s quality and service credentials while cutting costs, particularly in stores where sales are falling. Nickolds may also have to consider pruning new store developments and finding new uses for store space that is no longer needed.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, the department store’s parent group, which also owns Waitrose, said: “At a time of transformation in the retail sector, Paula’s progressive and dynamic leadership is just what’s needed for the next phase of modern retailing.”
Nickolds said: “As a partner with 22 years’ service, I know just how special the John Lewis Partnership is. Driven by our unique business model, and with innovation in our DNA, I am immensely excited to lead John Lewis on the next stage of our journey.”
Former and current John Lewis staff, known as partners because they jointly own the business and take a share in its profits, said Nickolds was “inspirational” and a “role model”.
“Paula has got the partnership in her DNA. She is ferociously bright and a very good people person. She is hugely respected and a woman with outstanding taste,” said one person who knows Nickolds well.
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Richard Hyman, the veteran retail analyst, said Nickolds was a great pick to lead the next phase of development at John Lewis because she was an “old fashioned retailer” who was in touch with what customers wanted and would help keep the brand relevant in a tough economic climate.
“Anybody can reduce costs if they compromise on quality or service. It would be a big mistake for John Lewis to jeopardise the