The John Lewis department store group is to restructure its buying and merchandising teams, as part of a transformation programme.
The changes follow the return of Peter Ruis as ceo and are designed to help ‘turbocharge’ the business, reported Retail Week.
John Lewis will be looking to re-establish individual buying and merchandising leadership roles across fashion and home, as well as to improve the ranges offered.
There will be a smaller number of reporting lines, while the changes proposed should allow staff to concentrate on their specific fields of expertise and provide clearer career progression opportunities.
The changes will result in the net addition of 48 roles, or full time equivalents. However, consultations are beginning on the future of 20 roles which could be made redundant.
“As we look to turbocharge our business and offer the best possible products to customers, we’ve proposed some changes to our buying and merchandising teams including the creation of nearly 50 new roles,” a John Lewis spokesperson told Retail Week.
John Lewis has introduced around 80 new brands so far this year.
Later in August, it will launch an exclusive collaboration with Sophie Conran, including its biggest investment in sofas for a decade.
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