Retailer John Lewis has said its staff will not receive a bonus for the third year in a row, despite reporting a jump in annual profits. The employee-owned retail partnership, which also includes the Waitrose supermarket chain, said profits rose by 73% to £97m last year. However, it has not restored the staff bonus, saying it would invest in its business and workers' pay instead. Chairman Jason Tarry said he was "determined to pay a bonus as soon as we possibly can" but that "will depend on where we are at the time". A company source added that John Lewis had no specific thresholds or criteria for reinstating the bonus. The John Lewis Partnership employs about 69,000 people, and earlier this month it said shop workers would receive a 7.4% pay rise this year. But this is the fourth time in five years that John Lewis has not paid a bonus. The string of freezes started in 2020 - the first time it had scrapped them since 1953 - after it was hit by Covid lockdown store closures. John Lewis said that while it expected the economic environment to be "challenging for our customers and our business" in the year ahead, it was still confident it could push up profits. John Lewis has been trying to win back customers with a recovery plan after a tough few years that saw it cut jobs and close several stores.
BBQ - Would workers prefer a bonus or a pay rise? What is the best form of motivation?
