The John Lewis Partnership would likely pay out a bonus again for the first time in four years if it meets a minimum profit level, staff have been told.

The partnership, which owns Waitrose and John Lewis, would restore its famous bonus if it generates profits of at least Ā£200m, the Financial Times reported.

If that level of earnings was reached, ā€œwe would recommend to the board that we pay a bonusā€, the retailer said in an internal update.

The partnership, which is owned by its 69,000 employees, said it was ā€œaiming to make over Ā£200mn profitā€ for the year ending January 2026. It said ā€œto get there, we need to keep focused on the right things and deliver our plansā€. 

The return of the bonus would be a big moment for the retailer, which has been conducting a turnaround over the last few years and is now chaired by former Tesco UK boss Jason Tarry.

In the last financial year, pre-tax profits at the partnership were Ā£97m āˆ’ an increase on the Ā£56m generated the previous year. The measure that the JLP board typically uses to make a decision on the bonus, profit before tax and exceptional items, was Ā£126m.