John Lewis has warned there may be more redundancies this year, following the revelation last month that it was axing 400 roles.

John Lewis’ new managing director Paula Nickolds said that the retailer would announce more redundancies but declined to give more detail on how many roles were on the line and in what areas of the business they are.

John Lewis has gradually introduced the narrative of “fewer partners, better jobs” over the last year and Nickolds today revisited that.

She said that she firmly believed that structural changes in retail presented an opportunity for more fulfilling work for partners and outlined plans to achieve that.

The department store business announced last month that it would axe almost 400 jobs in response to “changing customer needs” and “structural changes” across the retail industry.

All in all, 773 staff have entered a period of consultation over their positions, but 386 new jobs will be created under plans to create “a more efficient way of operating”.

The news came just weeks after John Lewis’ stablemate Waitrose unveiled plans to slash hundreds of jobs amid a drive to simplify its store management teams and preceded similar revelations by Boots, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.