John Lewis Partnership makes £114m annual investment in pay

The John Lewis Partnership announced a £114m investment in pay for 65,000 partners across the business this year.

77% (£88m) of the pay investment is voluntary and is beyond the requirements of the National Minimum Wage. 

From 1st April, 2025 the minimum rate of pay for partners outside London will increase from £11.55 to £12.40 an hour and from £12.89 to £13.85 for partners within the M25. 

Over the last three years John Lewis Partnership has invested a total of £295m in partner pay and the standard hourly rate for partners in our shops has risen by 25%. 

Rates of pay increase to £13.39 per hour for those partners who gain enhanced skills and take on specialist roles in our shops, rising to £14.96 inside the M25.

Alongside this, partners who have contributed ‘exceptionally’ to the business will earn additional pay on top of the standard pay increase.

This means a customer-facing partner could receive a pay increase of 9.4%.

The investment in pay is complemented by a benefits package.

Employees benefit from 25% off most purchases at John Lewis and 20% off at Waitrose, along with access to a competitive pension scheme where the partnership contributes up to 12% of their pay.

The package also included a life assurance scheme providing coverage of up to four times an employee’s annual salary, as well as equal parenthood leave and a generous annual holiday allowance.

To support wellbeing, a wide-ranging programme is available, including subsidised holidays at the partnership’s hotels.

Additionally, employees receive £60 a year towards event tickets such as concerts and festivals, and £250 annually to help them learn a new skill or explore a personal interest.

Jo Rackham, interim executive director, people, at John Lewis, said: “Our partners are co-owners of our business and their service to our customers is what sets us apart, so we have chosen to make another very significant investment in partner pay this year.  

“This signals our continued commitment to our partners’ pay, taking our total investment over the last three years to £295m.”