John Lewis names Will Kernan as new boss
The boss of John Lewis, Peter Ruis, is set to step down from the department store chain.
He will be replaced by Will Kernan, the former boss of high street retailers River Island and The White Company.
Parent group the John Lewis Partnership said Mr Ruis will step down as managing director of the John Lewis business in September.
The company said the boss is stepping away from the retail chain “to pursue new projects”.
Mr Ruis has led the brand through its major turnaround programme since January 2024, having rejoined the group where he had earlier been a buying director.
He also led the reintroduction of the brand’s Never Knowingly Undersold price promise and has overseen the start of an £800 million store investment plan.
His replacement will now be tasked with helping John Lewis Partnership chairman Jason Tarry with returning the group to profit despite a challenging consumer backdrop.
Mr Kernan currently sits on the John Lewis Partnership board as a non-executive director and will take up the managing director role in “mid-September”, ahead of the peak trading period in the run-up to Christmas.
Mr Ruis said: “After nearly three years of significant investment and modernisation, the business is now on a much stronger footing.
“I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved and there is so much more still to come.
“I would like to thank our customers, partners, brands and suppliers for their incredible support and I wish Will the best of luck as he takes up the reins.”
Mr Kernan said: “Having served on the partnership’s board for three years, I have a clear understanding of the John Lewis business and a huge appreciation for the partnership’s values and employee-ownership model.
“We have significant headroom for growth and I’m looking forward to leading the team to ensure John Lewis remains the country’s most trusted and loved retailer, in store and online.”
Earlier this month, John Lewis revealed it was hoping to take advantage of the fitness boom among shoppers by relaunching its sports and wellbeing offer.
The department store business said its new sports and wellbeing departments will make it the first UK retailer to bring sportswear, footwear, wearable technology, recovery, AI-powered fitness and expert services together in one location.
The move will help the retailer take on major players in sportswear, such as Sports Direct, as well as technology specialists.
The multimillion-pound investment has already transformed the sports department in its London Oxford Street site.