Retailer John Lewis Partnership is to invest £114 million in pay for 99.3% of its workforce, equating to 65,000 partners, from 1 April.
Its minimum rate of pay for partners outside London will increase by 7.4% from £11.55 to £12.40 an hour, and from £12.89 to £13.85 for those based within the M25.
For partners who gain enhanced skills and take on specialist roles in shops, the pay rate will increase to £13.39 per hour across the UK, and to £14.96 for those based inside the M25.
In addition, partners who have contributed exceptionally to the organisation will earn an additional 2% boost on top of the increase, meaning a customer-facing employee could receive a 9.4% pay increase.
A total of 77%, or £88 million, of the retailer’s investment in pay is voluntary and exceeds the requirements of the government’s current national minimum wage.
On top of the £116 million increase it made in 2024, the organisation’s investment in pay has reached £230 million over two years. Over the past three years, it has increased its total pay by £295 million, while the standard hourly rate for partners in shops has risen by 25%.
Jo Rackham, interim executive director, people at John Lewis, said: “Our partners are co-owners of our business and their service to our customers is what sets us apart, so we have chosen to make another very significant investment in partner pay this year. This signals our continued commitment to our partners’ pay, taking our total investment over the last three years to £295 million.”
John Lewis’ benefits package includes: 25% off most purchases at John Lewis and 20% off purchases at Waitrose, a pension scheme with the partnership contributing up to 12%, a life assurance scheme worth up to four times annual pay, equal parenthood leave, wellbeing support, subsidised holidays in the partnership’s hotels, £60 a year towards the cost of event tickets such as concerts and festivals, and £250 a year to help towards learning a new skill or exploring an interest.
