John Lewis highlights partnership model by rebranding

John Lewis remains one of Britain’s largest retailers, but as the retail industry continues to struggle during a time of generational change, brands must differentiate themselves in order to stand out. John Lewis Partnership plc will change the names of its businesses John Lewis and Waitrose by adding ‘& Partners’ to both names.

From September 2018, John Lewis will rebrand as ‘John Lewis & Partners’ and Waitrose will rebrand as ‘Waitrose & Partners.’ By renaming both its businesses, John Lewis is making a clear statement in which it chooses to prioritise its partners and staff in order to provide customers with personalised service.

As the company continues to empower its staff, John Lewis has invested £4m in an effort to equip its 8,000 employees with iPhones across 20 of its stores, to enable staff to offer expertise and thus help customers more effectively. Its focus on employees is one of three steps John Lewis is taking while it aims to craft a unique business model, separating itself from other brands within the retail industry. The other two are a focus on differentiation and a higher level of investment in product and service innovation.

Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, Sir Charlie Mayfield says, "Our plans put differentiation, innovation and partner led service at the heart of our offer. The measures that we have outlined today are an important next step in our strategy that will ensure we emerge stronger from this period of profound change."

Mayfield adds, "As retail changes we need to tread a path that enables us to thrive as a business while building on the qualities that make us different. For us, the relentless pursuit of greater scale is not the right course.”