John Lewis & Partners is a British brand of high-end department stores operating throughout the United Kingdom, with concessions also located in Ireland. The brand sells general merchandise as part of the John Lewis Partnership. It was created by Spedan Lewis, son of the founder, John Lewis, in 1929. From 1925 to 2022, the chain had a policy that it would always at least match a lower price offered by a national high street competitor; this pledge was known by the name "Never Knowingly Undersold".
The flagship John Lewis & Partners store on Oxford Street in London
John Lewis store in Cardiff
John Lewis Oxford Street store damaged during The Blitz, 1940
The first John Lewis store in Birmingham opened in 2015; the store closed in 2020 due to financial challenges
The John Lewis Partnership plc (JLP) is a British company that operates John Lewis & Partners department stores, Waitrose & Partners supermarkets, its banking and financial services, and other retail-related activities. The public limited company is owned by a trust on behalf of all its employees – known as partners – and a bonus, akin to a share of the profit, is paid to employees. John Lewis has around 80,800 partners/employees as of 2020. JLP Group was the third-largest UK non-traded company by sales in The Sunday Times Top Track 100 for 2016. The chain's image is upmarket, and its customers are likely to be more affluent consumers. It was a member of the International Association of Department Stores from 2004 to 2010.
John Lewis & Partners' flagship department store on Oxford Street, London
Interior of a Waitrose & Partners store in Enfield