Peter Ruis to step down as John Lewis managing director
The John Lewis Partnership has announced that Peter Ruis has decided to step down from his role as managing director of John Lewis to pursue new projects.
He will be succeeded by former River Island chief executive Will Kernan, who currently sits on the partnership board.
Subscribe to TRBRuis (pictured left) returned to John Lewis in January 2024, after retail leadership roles at Jigsaw, Anthropologie and Indigo, and a previous stint at the department store lasting nine years.
As managing director, he led a significant modernisation of the brand, investment in the transformation of John Lewis stores, and the introduction of new brands, including the return of Topshop to the high street. He has also led changes to the retailer’s digital platform and search capability, helping to achieve record customer satisfaction.
Ruis said “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.”
Meanwhile, Kernan (pictured right) has held several senior retail leadership positions over a 35-year career, including chief executive of River Island, The White Company, and Wiggle. He also spent 13 years at New Look, where his roles included group financial director, group trading director, chief operating officer. and group managing director.
Most recently, he has been chairman of furniture and kitchen retailer Neptune. He joined the John Lewis partnership’s board as a non-executive director in 2023.
Kernan said: “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.”
Jason Tarry, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Peter has done a fantastic job and will be missed by all of our Partners. He’s injected energy and pace into the John Lewis transformation and we are sad to see him go.
“Will is perfectly placed to take John Lewis on to the next phase of development and growth. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to oversee an orderly succession with Will who knows John Lewis and the team incredibly well from his time on the Partnership’s Board.”
Ruis will remain with the business until 6 September and will be succeeded by Kernan in mid-September, in time for peak trading
