John Lewis boss to increase shop floor staff

John Lewis boss Peter Ruis plans to increase the amount of staff working on the shop floor in an effort to improve its customer service.

Ruis is renegotiating contracts with fashion brands so they can pay the department store a lower rate of commission in exchange for getting more employees to work on their concessions, according to The Sunday Times.

The chief executive, who re-joined the firm in January, said he wants to introduce a "Selfridges-style" approach of highly attentive customer service.

It comes after research from John Lewis indicated that more workers could increase sales in concessions by a double-digit percentage, leading to benefits for both the retailers and suppliers in stores.

While fashion brands have widely supported the department store’s plans, bosses of several suppliers told The Sunday Times their commission rates would need to fall in order for them to be able to support the plan.

A spokesperson for the John Lewis Partnership told TheIndustry.fashion: "John Lewis has always innovated and embraced different working models with suppliers to ensure we're best delivering for our customers. We already have brand consultants across our departments - including fashion - and have done so for many years."

The appointment of Ruis earlier this year marked something of a homecoming for the former CEO of Jigsaw, who previously spent nine years with the department store from 2005 to 2013 as its buying and brand director.

As a result of the move Naomi Simcock, who stepped up as interim Executive Director for John Lewis, took on the new role of Operations Director. She is responsible for John Lewis Retail and Supply Chain.

Earlier this year, John Lewis confirmed plans to further slash its workforce over the next five years, shortly after the retail group warned of reduced redundancy payouts and pay cuts as part of its complete overhaul.

At the time, a spokesperson for the partnership said in a statement that it "has a plan to return to profit, which involves investing heavily to enhance our customer offer, technology, stores and becoming more efficient".

It later revealed in March that it had returned to profit for the first time since the pandemic, with finances boosted by its axed bonuses in 2023.