The former boss of Tesco in the UK and Ireland is to replace Sharon White as the chair of the group that owns John Lewis and Waitrose as it turns to an experienced retailer to lead the next phase of its turnaround.
Jason Tarry is poised to take up the role in September when White will step down several months before the end of her term.
He spent 33 years at Tesco, having joined its graduate trainee programme in 1990. He was head of its UK and Irish business for six years with experience in grocery, general merchandise, fashion and general management positions.
The John Lewis Partnership (JLP), whose 34 department stores and 329 supermarkets employ 74,000 people, has been searching for a new chair since White announced she would not seek a second term when her five-year stint is up in February next year. Other potential candidates are thought to have included the former Sainsbury’s boss Justin King and the departing Marks & Spencer boss Katie Bickerstaffe.
Former Ofcom boss White, who had never worked in retail before joining JLP, has shepherded the company back into profit but has been criticised for too much focus on non-retail projects, including building homes to rent and expanding financial services, while the group’s main business has suffered.
As a Tesco lifer, Tarry brings plenty of retail experience but from a very different world to the staff-owned culture of JLP.
Both JLP’s brands are more upmarket than Tesco, while Waitrose has just 4.5% of the UK grocery market, compared with Tesco’s 27.3% dominant market share, according to the latest figures from the industry analyst Kantar.
Employee-owned JLP is also known for its democratic system, in which staff get a say over many important decisions – a far cry from the FTSE 100 retailer Tesco.
Zoe Mills, the lead retail analyst at the retail research group GlobalData, said: “Jason Tarry was at the helm of Tesco during the crucial development of its Clubcard loyalty scheme, taking the discounters head-on and creating a retail model that its competitors have emulated since. He certainly has the experience and knowhow to rejuvenate the John Lewis Partnership.
“This new challenge for Tarry will require a different tactic to that employed at Tesco, with Marks & Spencer, rather than the discounters, a clear threat to John Lewis’s long-term success.”
Tarry has taken the role of executive chair for a five-year term, a full-time post, suggesting that he eventually may not need the services of a group chief executive – a post created last year and currently held by Nish Kankiwala, a former Hovis and Burger King executive who stepped up from a non-executive role at JLP.
Before Kankiwala’s appointment, JLP’s two division bosses – of the John Lewis department stores and its Waitrose supermarkets – reported directly to the group chair.
Rita Clifton, the deputy chair of JLP, said Tarry had “impressed everyone throughout the interview process with his warmth, his belief in the partnership’s ideals and democratic principles and his appreciation for our unique and special brands”.
“We are confident that Jason will provide the kind of inspirational leadership, a proven track record in multi-channel, multi-category retail success and a strong identification with partnership values that we are seeking in this role,” she said.
Clifton said White had helped ensure the employee ownership of JLP was secure. “The board extends its huge thanks to Sharon for successfully leading the partnership through one of the most testing periods in its history – first Covid and then the cost of living crisis. She has faced into the toughest decisions and overseen the partnership’s financial recovery; we are in good financial health with a return to profit, and have a strong balance sheet with record investment planned this year,” she added.
White said: “I’m delighted to be handing over to Jason, who has a combination of fantastic retail experience with leadership through transformation.”
Tarry said: “The partnership and its brands stand for trust, value, quality and service and it’s a great privilege to be succeeding Sharon as the seventh chairman. The partnership is unique and I’ve long been an admirer of the employee-ownership model, its values and partner-led customer service. This starts with a sharp focus on being brilliant retailers for customers and investing in growth.”
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9idXNpbmVzcy8yMDI0L2Fwci8wOC9qb2huLWxld2lzLXBhcnRuZXJzaGlwLWpvaG4tdGFycnktY2hhaXItc2hhcm9uLXdoaXRl0gFlaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlZ3VhcmRpYW4uY29tL2J1c2luZXNzLzIwMjQvYXByLzA4L2pvaG4tbGV3aXMtcGFydG5lcnNoaXAtam9obi10YXJyeS1jaGFpci1zaGFyb24td2hpdGU?oc=5
2024-04-08 08:27:00Z
CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9idXNpbmVzcy8yMDI0L2Fwci8wOC9qb2huLWxld2lzLXBhcnRuZXJzaGlwLWpvaG4tdGFycnktY2hhaXItc2hhcm9uLXdoaXRl0gFlaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlZ3VhcmRpYW4uY29tL2J1c2luZXNzLzIwMjQvYXByLzA4L2pvaG4tbGV3aXMtcGFydG5lcnNoaXAtam9obi10YXJyeS1jaGFpci1zaGFyb24td2hpdGU
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