John Lewis names senior trio, including 'store of the future' chief

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 28, 2021

John Lewis continues to work hard to future-proof its business with news that it has named a ‘store of the future’ director, along with two other major senior hires.

The move comes as it continues to close under-performing stores. But it’s also investing heavily in those department stores that it sees as fitting its ‘new normal’ vision and making its department stores and Waitrose supermarkets operate more synergistically.

Stephen Spencer is being brought in from his current role as director real estate, store development and strategic sales at athleisure giant Lululemon.

He joins in late July and John Lewis said he’ll “play a critical role in the work we are doing to rebalance our store estate including where we open new, more local shops that reflect how our customers shop today — as well as ensuring that our existing shops continue to be inspiring places to visit”.

Meanwhile, the company has also named Rosie Hanley as head of brand and marketing, joining from eBay, and a new director of online trade from Dunelm, Steve Masterton.

John Lewis executive director, Pippa Wicks, said they’ll all have “critical, leadership roles in delivering our turnaround strategy as we invest to accelerate our online business, make our existing and future new format shops extraordinary destinations and modernise our brand”.