John Lewis is the British department-store retailer owned by the John Lewis Partnership, whose employees are called Partners.
The business began with John Lewis’s first shop on London’s Oxford Street in 1864. His son, John Spedan Lewis, later developed the employee-ownership model that became central to the partnership.
The partnership structure gives employees a stake in the business and historically included an annual Partnership Bonus, depending on company performance. The group also operates Waitrose, its supermarket arm.
The retailer is often confused with the broader John Lewis Partnership. John Lewis refers to the department-store business, while the partnership is the parent organization that also owns Waitrose.