John Lewis Partnership Announces £1.4m Donation to Local Charities and designs mug to raise funds in aid of NHS Charities Together
Friday 15 May 2020
The John Lewis Partnership has today announced that it will donate a further £1.4m to around 3,000 local charities who are helping those most in need during the pandemic. This brings the total amount of support given by the Partnership to local communities - primarily food banks, those supporting the elderly, homeless and those most at risk from coronavirus - to over £2.7m
The £1.4m announced today will be distributed to local charities who have existing relationships with Waitrose and John Lewis shops. £500,000 will be put into a new fund called ‘Your Partners Through It All Community Fund’. Partners will nominate local charities to receive a donation of £1,000, £2,000 or £5,000 from the Fund with decisions made by a committee of Partners in two rounds at the end of May and June.
Over the next three months £900,000 will also be distributed by Waitrose shops to local charities known to them through their established Community Matters programme.
To raise funds for NHS Charities Together this weekend the retailer will begin selling on johnlewis.com and in 264 Waitrose branches a limited edition china mug (price £8) designed in-house. All profits from the sale of the mugs will be donated.
The retailer is also inviting children of Britain to enter their drawing of a “super-bear”’ cuddly toy into a competition. The winning design will be sold in John Lewis and Waitrose shops at Christmas - with 100% of the profits donated in aid of NHS Charities Together.
Caroline Silke, Partner and Social Impact Manager said; “Through our relationships with local charities we are aware of the amazing work happening, and also the great need for further support to enable them to continue to carry out their vital work which so many people are dependent upon. The Partnership is committed to doing all it can to help.”
Ellie Orton, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together said: “Thank you, John Lewis & Partners for donating money in aid of NHS Charities Together through sales of your new mugs. Funds donated help us to continue to support NHS staff, volunteers and patients impacted by Covid-19 across the country. Your support of NHS frontline workers and vulnerable people throughout this crisis has been incredibly impressive – thank you.”
In March The John Lewis Partnership announced a £1million Community Support Fund which has been used to support communities across the UK. The Retailer has also given £395,000 in donations to Age UK, FareShare, GroceryAid, Kitchen Social, Retail Trust and the Trussell Trust.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About John Lewis & Partners
The John Lewis Partnership owns and operates two of Britain's best-loved retail brands - John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners. Started as a radical idea nearly a century ago, the Partnership is the largest employee-owned business in the UK and amongst the largest in the world, with over 80,000 employees who are all Partners in the business. For all intents and purposes, the Partnership is a social enterprise; the profits made are reinvested into the business - for customers and Partners. John Lewis & Partners operates 50 shops across the UK (36 department stores, 12 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. Waitrose & Partners has 338 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 61 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. Waitrose & Partners exports products to more than 50 countries worldwide and has nine shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. The retailer's omnichannel business includes the online grocery service, Waitrose.com, as well as specialist online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitroseflorist.com for plants and flowers.