The search for the next chair of John Lewis Partnership is underway after current incumbent Sharon White revealed she would be stepping down at the end of her five-year term.
White, who will become the retailer’s shortest running chair when she leaves, has not had the easiest of runs with a global pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis to contend with.
On top of that, she has faced fierce criticism around her turnaround plan, which includes a focus on non-retail activities such as house building.
Whoever takes on the role will have a bag challenge on their hands as the business is still racking up substantial losses. Retail Gazette looks at some of the possible candidates who could replace White.
David Potts
Recently departed Morrisons chief executive David Potts could be a strong contender to take on the top role at John Lewis Partnership.
Potts, who stepped away from the grocer last month after nine years, brings a wealth of retail and grocery experience – something that’s desperately needed on the Partnership’s current board and which White has been criticised as lacking.
The former chief executive spearheaded Morrisons turnaround when he joined and in recent years led the grocer’s acquisition and integration of McColl’s, helping to bolster the chain’s convenience business.
Potts joined the supermarket in 2015 after almost four decades at Tesco, where he started on the shop floor aged 16 and rose through the ranks to run its Asian operations.
His deep grocery experience could be vital in getting Waitrose back on form.
Potts said last week that he had planned to take a short break following his departure but would then “look for further ways to contribute to business and to the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic”.
Perhaps Potts, who has a track record of delivering results, might find himself reviving one of Britain’s most loved retail institutions a worthy contribution.
Archie Norman
Archie Norman has spent the last six years overseeing food and fashion group M&S’s turnaround plan as it looks to re-establish its brand, win back consumers and return to profit.
Sound familiar?
He played a similar role at Asda, turning it from a “basket case” into one of the UK’s most respected and aggressive retailers attracting a £6.7bn price-tag by the time he left in 2000.
Perhaps with M&S now motoring, Norman might jump ship to see if he can perform a similar feat at its rival?
Mark Price
With John Lewis in peril, could we see Lord Mark Price return to the Partnership?
Price stepped down as deputy chairman and managing director of Waitrose in 2016 after 33 years at the business.
The retail veteran grew the upmarket grocer into a more than £6.5bn brand during his 10-year tenure as its boss, helping it to weather the 2008 recession.
Price was responsible for its alternative approach to loyalty, which saw the supermarket introduce free tea or coffee to its members.
Since his departure, Price has set up human resources platform WorkL as he believes that happier employees equal healthier businesses.
With morale at John Lewis Partnership understood to be low after staff missed out on the staff bonus for two of the past three years, Price could be just the leader it needs to reinstall faith in the business.
Alison Brittain
Alison Brittain, currently chair of John Lewis’ big rival in homewares Dunelm and the Premier League, could be a good fit for the department store and grocery group.
Although, like White, not a retailer by trade, she has much experience in consumer industries from her time leading Whitbread, owner of brands including Premier Inn and Beefeater.
She also helped to rapidly grow and subsequently sell Costa Coffee for £3.9bn in 2018.
Brittain, who stepped down from Whitbread in January this year, also sat on the board of M&S as a non-executive between 2013 and 2020.
She has built up considerable expertise across a number of consumer-facing companies as well as during her time in the UK banking industry.
Her diverse experience could come in handy with the Partnership’s plan to have at least 40% of its revenue come from non-retail.
Justin King
Justin King is yet another ex-grocery boss that spearheaded a successful turnaround plan he dubbed ‘Making Sainsbury’s Great Again’.
During his 10-year tenure, King’s leadership delivered shareholder return of 85% and saw profits triple to £756m by the time he left in 2014.
Prior to Sainsburys, King worked at M&S as its director of food and became one of the pioneers of the retailer’s Simply Food convenience chain. He rejoined the retailer as a non-executive director in 2019, which will give him a greater insight into the worlds of fashion and home.
He also held several senior positions in rival Asda and sat on the leadership team, under Archie Norman, that was responsible for the supermarket’s turnaround.
Dave Lewis
Many will argue that White’s replacement has a steep hill to climb to successfully turn the Partnership back around.
And who’s more suited to take on the hot seat than Sir Dave Lewis.
After all, it’s what he did when he stepped up to the plate as chief executive at Tesco in 2014.
One of the first things Lewis did when he took the hotseat was reveal that the supermarket had overstated its historical profits by £326m.
The accounting scandal led to a company fine of £129m and £85m in compensation for investors, and was soon followed by Tesco posting a £6.4bn loss.
He quickly earned the nickname “Drastic Dave” for his major cost-cutting, worth around £1.5bn, at the start of his leadership resulting in thousands of jobs cut and non-core parts of the retail business sold off.
Lewis, who joined from consumer goods giant Unilever and had no prior direct retail experience, set it on the path to recovery over the next six years when it returned to sustainable profits.
Perhaps Lewis can provide the drastic change the Partnership has been waiting for.
Matt Davies
Retail veteran Matt Davies could also find himself in the running to take on the role.
Davies’ impressive CV includes a three-year stint at Tesco as its UK chief executive between 2015 and 2018, where he led the turnaround of the business.
Prior to Tesco, Davies was the boss of CEO of Halfords from 2012 to 2015 and worked at Pets at Home first as its finance director in 2001 and later its chief executive from 2004 to 2012.
Davies is known to foster a great culture wherever he has gone. He also has vast non-executive experience since he departed Tesco.
Davies is currently the chair at Greggs, Hobbycraft and Auto Trader Group and was previously chair at digital department store N Brown Group between 2018 and 2021, and was on the board of Dunelm.
As someone with a wealth of retail knowledge, is Davies ready to face his biggest challenge yet?
Judith McKenna
She may be about to retire from executive life, but could Judith McKenna fit in a chair role?
McKenna revealed she would step down from her role as chief executive and president of Walmart International in January after 10 years with the business.
Prior to that, she climbed through the ranks of Asda’s finance department before acting as chief financial officer between 2002 and 2011, and later COO from 2011 and 2013.
During her time at the Big Four supermarket, McKenna played a key role in helping Asda increase its online sales amid a fierce price war with its rivals and German discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Stuart Rose
Lord Stuart Rose is no stranger to managing some of the UK’s biggest retailers.
In fact, the retail veteran has more than 50 years of sector knowledge under his belt and was awarded a knighthood in 2008 for services to the retail industry.
Rose started his career at M&S as a management trainee in 1972 and returned to the retailer in 2004 as its chief executive and later, executive chairman.
He has held the top executive role at Arcadia, Argos, Booker and the Burton Group.
Rose is currently the chair of Asda, having joined in December 2021, and the supermarket owner’s sister business EG Group, so would have to relinquish that role to take on the JLP position.
His non-executive career also extends to Ocado, where he spent seven years as chairman between 2013 and 2020.
Will Kernan
John Lewis may decide to look internally for its next chair appointment, specifically at newly appointed non-executive director Will Kernan.
Kernan stepped into the role last month, succeeding Nish Kankiwala who assumed the role of the retailer’s chief executive in March this year.
He has held several leadership positions in retail throughout his career, including most recently the boss of River Island.
Before that, he spearheaded the transformation and merger of online cycling specialist Wiggle Chain Reaction Group.
Kernan spent five years as CEO of The White Company following a thirteen-year tenure at New Look, where he rose through the ranks from group financial director to chief operating officer.
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