WA I T RO S E
& PA RT N E R S
T h i s a u t u m n Wa i t ro s e h a s m o r p h e d
i n t o Wa i t ro s e A n d P a r t n e r s
highlighting that the business
has a unique structure with the
employees owning the business.
Our staff are called Partners as we belong in the John Lewis Partnership, along with
the famous department store brand. Despite the name, the John Lewis Partnership was
founded by Spedan Lewis, who was the son of the owner of John Lewis Oxford Street.
Whilst working for his father in the early 20th century Spedan Lewis became uneasy
that his father, brother and himself were earning more income from the business than all
their employees put together.
Spedan took over control of a second store called
Peter Jones in Sloane Square and began to make
radical changes. He wanted to distribute the
profits among the workers and improve working
conditions. By 1925 Spedan had shortened the
working week, launched a familiar slogan “never
knowingly undersold”, invented a profit-sharing
scheme, set up a staff council and launched an
inhouse magazine.
The business expanded into new stores and
purchased a small London based grocery chain
from Mr Waite and Mr Rose in 1937. The two
businesses continued to grow and in 1950 Spedan
signed a settlement giving his shares in the
At the end of your shop in branch, you’ll receive a token
to place in a box of the good cause you’d most like to
support. The more tokens a cause gets, the bigger the
donation they receive. Each month every
Waitrose branch donates £1,000 (£500
in Convenience shops) between 3
local good causes that you choose.
partnership to the people who worked in it. The
control of the partnership was now controlled by
trustees and the councils within the business. It
has remained the same ever since.
Today the 83,000 Partners working in the business
also own the business, making it a more personal
working experience, with the founders’ vision for
a company powered
by its people and its
principles defining
the unique way
we work. Some
Waitrose Partners
get to work on
our own farm at
A FREE CUP OF
TEA OR COFFEE
EVERYDAY AS A
MYWAITROSE
MEMBER.
Don’t forget, you can pick up copies of Hiya Bucks in the following Waitrose stores:
AMERSHAM, BEACONSFIELD, CHESHAM, GERRARDS CROSS, HAZLEMERE AND HIGH WYCOMBE
46 |
hiyabucks.com