John Lewis boss Peter Ruis quits as retail giant names his replacement

John Lewis boss Peter Ruis is set to step down from his position of leading the department store chain.

He will be succeeded by Will Kernan, who previously led high street retail brands River Island and The White Company.

Parent group the John Lewis Partnership confirmed that Mr Ruis will step down as managing director of John Lewis in September.

The firm stated that the retail boss is leaving the department store chain “to pursue new projects”.

Mr Ruis has spearheaded the brand’s main turnaround scheme since January 2024, having returned to the business where he had previously worked as a buying director.

He also oversaw the return of the firm’s Never Knowingly Undersold price pledge and started the rollout of an £800 million store investment scheme.

open image in gallery

His successor will now be responsible for helping John Lewis Partnership chairman Jason Tarry to restore the group to profit despite a difficult consumer environment.

Mr Kernan is currently a non-executive director on the John Lewis Partnership board and will assume the managing director role in “mid-September”, ahead of the crucial trading period in the run-up to Christmas.

Mr Ruis noted: “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 added: “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 announced it was going big on fitness in its latest store development plan.

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.