Business Performance in the Retail Sector

Abstract This book investigates how John Lewis's unique ownership and organizational arrangements have enabled it to become one of the largest and longest-surviving employee-owned firms in the Western world. From its emergence in 1864, the John Lewis Partnership has placed its trust in an explicit set of business principles, emphasizing employee share-ownership, employee motivation, and profit-sharing. This study examines the success of these principles and the lessons to be learned from them for successful retailing strategy and competitiveness in the 1990s.