John Lewis takes aim at M&S in fashion fightback as department store chain returns to profit By Emily Hawkins Updated: 22:05, 4 July 2024 e-mail View comments John Lewis is throwing down the fashion gauntlet in a fight to win shoppers from Marks & Spencer. The department store and Waitrose owner has had a troubled few years but finally returned to profit in the spring. Now, it is reviving its fashion ranges to woo Middle England.
It is also pinning hopes on services including clothes rental and free personal styling to entice younger shoppers, and last month the 95-year-old partnership hired Rachel Morgans as director of fashion. Fightback: John Lewis has been vying with rivals M&S and Next, who have boosted the array of big names available to shoppers Her CV spans three decades at names including fashion chains Asos, Topshop and department store Brown Thomas. She has been tasked with boosting the credentials of John Lewis’s brands and its third-party ranges.
It comes as the group chairman Dame Sharon White, 56, stands down after five years in February. She will be replaced by ex-Tesco managing director Jason Tarry, who is seen as a safe pair of hands – given his credentials leading Britain’s biggest supermarket. Morgans said: ‘Fashion at John Lewis goes from strength to strength.
In our own-brand ranges we have created timeless, stylish, and versatile pieces that have longevity for seasons to come. ‘We are also proud to be known as the key launch partner for exciti.
