Russia threatens to hold hundreds of planes hostage amid sanctions

John Lewis is bringing back its employees bonus just after the retailer’s earnings rebounded pursuing a tough pandemic year.

Workforce at the higher road stalwart will share a £46m pot, with each and every receiving a reward of 3laptop – or one particular-and-a-half week’s pay. The company also stated it will enhance wages by 2pc on prime of its pledge to pay the serious residing wage.

It marks the return of payouts following John Lewis was forced to scrap very last year’s bonus for the very first time due to the fact 1953.

The group, which also owns Waitrose, claimed underlying pre-tax profits of £181m in the 12 months to January 29 thanks to document profits of £4.9bn – up 8pc on a like-for-like basis.

It remained in the pink on a base-line basis, nevertheless losses narrowed sharply to £26m from £517m in 2020, when the pandemic drove the firm to its 1st ever yearly decline. 

Chair Dame Sharon White hailed a “great begin” to the group’s 5-year overhaul, but warned of a troubled wider outlook amid inflation and a expense-of-residing disaster.

John Lewis, which lately ditched its “Under no circumstances Knowingly Undersold” pledge, has explained it will remove any merchandise produced in Russia from its cabinets.