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John Lewis has told its staff they must be in the office more often in a bid to catch up with its rivals, who have already ditched remote working. In a memo to head office staff, the department store giant, whose flagship store opened 162 years ago, said it expected them to work "more in person than not," whether in the office or out with suppliers and customers.

John Lewis, which also owns Waitrose, said the changes would help accelerate its turnaround and achieve "better outcomes" after it posted a £21million loss last year, compared with a pre-tax profit of £97million a year earlier. It said many of its competitors had already implemented a return-to-the-office policy. Indeed, the UK's leading health and beauty retailer, Boots, ordered its staff to be back behind their desks five days a week in 2024, while Morrisons ended working from home for head office staff last summer.

In an internal memo, John Lewis said: "Many organisations have noticed improvements in collaboration and culture alongside improved business performance as a result of a hybrid model - one that allows for more time in person while still enjoying the benefits of working time at home too."

It added that central office teams, which include HR and finance departments, should be "spending more of [their] working week collaborating face to face with [their] team and others [they] work alongside", according to The Telegraph. The company has previously taken a more flexible approach to office attendance.

The retail giant also said it was exploring options to "create more space" in its existing offices so staff could come in more regularly, including fitting unused office space at the Waitrose headquarters in Bracknell, Berkshire, with more desks.

However, John Lewis told staff this did not constitute a change in policy, saying it remained committed to "hybrid working".

John Lewis previously championed a "blended approach" and, in 2023, halved the size of its central London offices. The move was driven by thousands of staff choosing to continue working from home after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. However, it has been slowly shifting its policies back to an in-person model, with staff in its commercial team told they should work no more than two days a week from home to accommodate training and development requirements.

A spokesman for John Lewis said: "While some in our industry are returning to the office full time, our policy hasn't changed, and we are committed to the flexibility that comes with a hybrid approach.

"To drive collaboration, faster decision-making and creativity, our goal is for central teams to be in the office, with suppliers and visiting shops more than they are at home, so we are working with them to make this happen."

Founded in 1864 by John Lewis on Oxford Street, the retailer grew from a small drapery shop into a major UK retailer. In 1929, his son, John Spedan Lewis, established the John Lewis Partnership. The Partnership expanded into food retail, acquiring the supermarket chain Waitrose in 1937. At its peak between 2012 and 2015, John Lewis operated over 50 department stores and "at home" locations. Today, it has significantly reduced its physical footprint to around 36 locations, focusing instead on online sales.