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Thu, 12 Mar 2026

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 John Lewis to pay first staff bonus for four years

The department store and Waitrose supermarket owner will give workers a bonus equivalent to an extra week's pay.

* John Lewis is awarding staff a 2% bonus, equivalent to an extra week's pay, for the first time in four years.
* Underlying profits rose 6% to £134m, despite a pre-tax loss of £21m due to one-off costs.
* Sales across the business grew by 5% to £13.4bn, with Waitrose sales increasing by 7%.
* The company's chair, Jason Tarry, has been leading the turnaround efforts since taking over in 2024.
* Retail industry analyst Richard Hyman described the 2% bonus as "modest" but praised the progress made under Tarry's leadership.