Which employee-owned UK retailer was founded in 1929 by John Spedan Lewis?

The John Lewis Partnership is the employee-owned UK retailer founded in 1929 by John Spedan Lewis.

John Spedan Lewis, son of department-store founder John Lewis, transferred ownership of the business into a trust for employees. This created the partnership structure in which employees became “partners” and shared in the organization’s success.

The partnership became associated with department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain. Its model is distinct from ordinary shareholder-owned retail companies because employees have a formal ownership and governance role.

The company’s history is sometimes confused with the founding dates of the original John Lewis department store or Waitrose. The partnership itself dates from 1929, while the component businesses have older and separate histories.