The head of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) received a 21% pay rise last year while the retailer cut 3,300 jobs, according to the company's annual report. Jason Tarry, who became chair in September 2024, saw his basic salary increase to £1.2m for the year to January, up from £990,000.
Tarry's total package, including a £22,700 annual bonus and other benefits, reached nearly £1.26m. The previous year he earned £415,000 for working only part of the year after succeeding Sharon White. Despite the rise, his pay remains below the £1.53m earned by predecessor Charlie Mayfield in 2015.
JLP, which operates 36 John Lewis department stores and over 300 Waitrose supermarkets, reduced its workforce from 69,000 to 65,700 over the year. The cuts included 1,800 fewer full-time roles at Waitrose and 1,500 at John Lewis. A JLP spokesperson said the reduction was mainly due to natural attrition, with fewer than 0.5% leaving through redundancy.
The company has shed 10,700 jobs in the past three years and previously considered cutting up to 11,000 by 2029. JLP said it would continue seeking efficiencies through electronic shelf labels and AI, but declined to comment on further job losses. In March, workers received their first annual bonus in four years – equivalent to 2% of salary – after underlying profits rose 6%.
Tarry's tenure has focused on retail basics, including store improvements and better pay. The firm is investing £800m in stores, having refurbished 23 Waitrose and five John Lewis sites. However, it faced criticism over the dismissal of an autistic volunteer and an employee sacked for tackling a shoplifter.
