John Lewis granted royal warrant by King Charles

John Lewis has been granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment as supplier of household goods and furnishings to King Charles. 

Peter Ruis, executive director of John Lewis, said: ‘It’s a proud moment to be recognised by His Majesty with his Royal Warrant. 

‘For 160 years, we’ve been focused on offering excellent customer service and the highest quality products, and the Royal Warrant is testament to the hard work of Partners across John Lewis and our suppliers.’ 

The retailer said the announcement also reflected its ‘ongoing commitment to supporting its local communities, whilst also championing high environmental standards’. 

The update follows an announcement in May that the King had granted Waitrose his Royal Warrant of Appointment as grocers and wine and spirit merchants. 

Today’s announcement also follows warrants granted by the late Queen to John Lewis Reading and John Lewis Oxford Street, whilst Peter Jones in Sloane Square held Royal Warrants of appointment from Prince Charles and the late Duke of Edinburgh. 

High street retailers like John Lewis are pinning their hopes on a Christmas trading boost after a slump following a dismal Budget for the sector.  

As stores reel from Rachel Reeves’ decision to burden the industry with £7billion of extra costs, bumper trading during Black Friday and the festive period is critical this year, experts have warned.

It follows a fall in numbers visiting shops in November as customers held out for discounting amid post-Budget ‘spending jitters’.

There have been sorely awaited signs of progress in John Lewis’ turnaround mission. 

The business, which owns 34 department stores, had been accused of losing its way after focusing on non-retail revenue streams, including build-to-rent projects. 

However, in recent months there have been signs of a revival at the partnership, which made a small profit last year. 

Last month, the retailer’s chief executive, Nish Kankiwala, said ‘the buzz is back’ at the group, which also owns Waitrose. 

Nish Kankiwala will step down in March after just two years in the role and become an adviser to the board. 

In September, John Lewis announced it was bringing back its ‘never knowingly undersold’ price pledge, two years after abandoning it.

The pledge also now applies to online sales, whereas it previously only applied to in-store shopping. The group said it would be using artificial intelligence to match the prices of 25 top retailers. 

The department store chain has been trying to win back customers after a tough few years that has seen it cut jobs and close several stores.

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