Britain's John Lewis Partnership has named Nish Kankiwala as its chief executive, creating a new role to drive profitability at the employee-owned retailer which is led by chairperson Sharon White.
The group, which runs John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, has struggled to make a profit in recent years due to the costs of developing its online offering, tough competition and uncertain economic conditions.
John Lewis is due to report annual results on Thursday. For the six months to the end of July 2022, it made a loss of £92 million (€104.5 million).
Major Commercial Decisions
White will retain overall responsibility for the group, which is owned by its 80,000 employees or partners, it said on Wednesday, including preserving its partnership model and making major commercial decisions.
She said in statement, "The new structure allows me to focus on the preservation of the partnership model and our distinctive character, on the strategy for the partnership and our big commercial choices. Nish will draw on his significant transformation experience to drive performance and profitability day to day."
Kankiwala is a former chief executive of baking company Hovis, and previously held senior roles at Burger King and PepsiCo. He has been on the board of John Lewis since 2021 and will take up his new role on 27 March.
Kankiwala stated, "It’s a great privilege to be appointed as chief executive following two rewarding years on the partnership’s board as a non-executive director. I am looking forward to playing an even fuller part in the transformation of the partnership, to be a modern business loved by customers and treasured by our partners."
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