London, 2016-Oct-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — The John Lewis Partnership announces today ( 25 October 2016) that Paula Nickolds will be appointed Managing Director, John Lewis.
Paula joined the Partnership in 1994 as a graduate trainee in John Lewis Oxford Street. She held a number of senior roles before joining the John Lewis management board as Buying & Brand Director in 2013. Most recently as Commercial Director, she has been responsible for innovation in John Lewis’s product assortment and the look and feel of its shops.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, 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.’
Paula 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.’
Paula will take up the position from January 2017. Dino Rocos will be the lead director responsible for John Lewis operations between 28 October and Paula’s start date, focusing on the delivery of seamless customer service during the critical peak trading period.
Notes to editors
The John Lewis Partnership – operates 48 John Lewis shops across the UK, johnlewis.com, 350 Waitrose shops, waitrose.com and business to business contracts in the UK and abroad. The business has annual gross sales of over £11bn. It is the UK’s largest example of an employee-owned business where all 88,900 staff are Partners in the business.
Waitrose – winner of the Best Supermarket1 and Best Food Retailer2 awards- currently has 350 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 61 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. It combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop – dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. Waitrose also exports its products to 58 countries worldwide and has eight shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. Waitrose’s omnichannel business includes the online grocery service Waitrose.com, as well as specialist online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitrosekitchen.com for cookware, utensils and kithchen gadgets.
¹ Which? Customer Survey
² Verdict Customer Satisfaction Awards
John Lewis – John Lewis operates 48 John Lewis shops across the UK (34 department stores, 12 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership and all 30,000 John Lewis staff are Partners in the business. John Lewis ‘Best In-Store Experience 2016’, ‘Best Clothing Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Electricals Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Furniture Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Homewares Retailer 2016’ and ‘Best Click & Collect Retailer 2016’1, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 280.000 products and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products – home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover – delivering the values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.
1Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2016
You can follow John Lewis on the following social media channels:
www.johnlewis.com/twitter
www.johnlewis.com/facebook
www.johnlewis.com/youtube.
Contact:
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Simon Rigby / Jos Bieneman
Telephone: 020 7638 9571
John Lewis Partnership
Katie Robson
Senior Communications Manager, John Lewis Partnership
Email: katie.robson@johnlewis.co.uk
Mobile: 07764 675608
Sian Grieve
Senior Communications Manager, John Lewis
Email: sian.grieve@johnlewis.co.uk
Mobile: 07525 271812
Source: John Lewis Partnership