John Lewis to waive staff bonuses as sales flag

John Lewis was forced to waive its staff bonus for the second time in history after the group’s full-year loss widened following a sales dip.

The UK retailer reported a pre-tax loss, including property writedowns, of £234m in the year to January 28 compared to a £27m loss the previous year.

Sharon White, who chairs the partnership, hinted the group would also have to cut staff numbers after flagging an uncertain outlook.

“s we need to become more efficient and productive, that will have an impact on our number of partners,”White said.

“That’s a massive regret to me personally.”