Great-grandson of John Lewis founder quits as Oak Furnitureland’s financial boss less than year into job after he was told to be in the office three days a week

The great-grandson of the John Lewis founder has resigned from Oak Furnitureland less than a year into his role over the company’s hybrid working policy.

John Patrick Lewis, whose great-grandfather John Lewis founded the department store chain in 1864, joined the retailer last July as chief financial officer.

But the 59-year-old quit this month after he was required to be in for three days a week at the firm’s head office at an industrial estate on the outskirts of Swindon.

The demands on Mr Lewis are understood to have become unsustainable and he wanted to be closer to his family in South East England, reported The Times.

While he is set to continue with other non-executive board positions he already held, Mr Lewis will not be taking on any further executive position at other firms.

Mr Lewis’s salary has never been revealed and was not listed in Companies House filings. But it comes four years after he received a £1.5million payoff from John Lewis when he left in 2021, having been the last remaining family member of the business.

Mr Lewis’s great-grandfather John Lewis opened the department store’s first outlet as a small drapery called ‘John Lewis & Co’ on London’s Oxford Street in 1864.

John Spedan Lewis – John’s son and Patrick’s great uncle – took over in 1914 and created the Partnership in 1929 which gave the workers ownership of the business.

John Patrick Lewis (pictured) has resigned from Oak Furnitureland as chief financial officer

John Lewis (pictured), great-grandfather of John Patrick Lewis, opened the department store’s first outlet as a small drapery called ‘John Lewis & Co’ on London’s Oxford Street in 1864

John Spedan Lewis (pictured) – John’s son and Patrick’s great uncle – took over in 1914 and created the John Lewis Partnership in 1929 which gave the workers ownership of the business

Oak Furnitureland chief executive Alex Fisher said of the outgoing Mr Lewis: ‘He has been a key part of the leadership team and a real champion of our business. 

‘We’re grateful for the impact he’s made during his time at Oak Furnitureland and wish him the very best as he takes more time to focus on his non-executive commitments and his family.’

Mr Fisher added that Grayham Dibb-Fuller, who is the new interim chief financial officer, will bring ‘extensive retail and consumer experience, which will be invaluable as we continue to focus on delivering the next phase of growth’.

Before joining Oak Furnitureland, Mr Lewis spent more than 26 years with John Lewis and had been touted as a possible new chairman before Sharon White was appointed in 2019.

He stepped down as the department store chain’s finance director in December 2020 before exiting in June the following year and received a £1.5million payoff.

This included a payment for loss of office and contributions towards legal fees as well as cash in lieu of salary, car, pension and other benefits for the remainder of his contractual notice period.

Mr Lewis had joined John Lewis in 1994, having previously worked for Procter & Gamble and consultancy Bain & Company. 

John Patrick Lewis (pictured) had joined Oak Furnitureland last July but left this month

Oak Furnitureland’s head office is located at an industrial estate on the outskirts of Swindon

The first John Lewis store was opened on Oxford Street, where the current one is located today

As for Oak Furnitureland, the retailer has struggled since it was rescued from collapse in June 2020 in a pre-pack administration deal, which is a fast-track system for rescuing struggling firms. 

The chain, which opened its first store in 2010, was bought by US hedge fund Davidson Kempner Capital Management for an undisclosed fee after being pushed to the brink by the pandemic.

Its latest accounts with Companies House show revenue fell by 17 per cent from £284million to £236million in the 12 months to June 2024, which it blamed on ‘a weak furniture market’.

The firm also said profit margins were impacted by ‘reduced volumes driven a soft market and external inflationary factors, such as Red Sea disruption, which have impacted freight rates’.

However, the company also cited its ‘diverse product pipeline and focus on enhancing the online and showroom estate’ as operating losses fell from £15.4million to £12.4million.

Bosses then said in an update this March that they were entering new financial year on a ‘much firmer footing’ after like-for-like sales rose 9 per cent in the 16 weeks to December 22, 2024.