John Lewis - Waitrose merger to squeeze marketing

As reported by Campaign, John Lewis Partnership is to merge department store John Lewis and supermarket Waitrose, in a move termed by the company as the ‘Future Partnership’ strategy. There will no longer be divisional boards or separate managing directors for the two businesses. Similarly, the marketing departments have also merged, with current John Lewis boss Paula Nickolds becoming executive director of brand, overseeing brand, digital and marketing.
 
Campaign reports that a single marketing director role is likely to be created, raising doubts over the roles of Martin George and Craig Inglis, respective customer directors of Waitrose and John Lewis. A number of roles across the wider marketing function are also likely to be merged to avoid duplication.
 
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