John Lewis staff to receive bonus

Staff at John Lewis department stores are likely to be awarded bonuses equivalent to between 16pc and 18pc of their annual salaries when parent company John Lewis Partnership (JLP) announces profits on Wednesday.

The significant payout comes after the department store and supermarket group had a strong year in the face of some of the toughest high street conditions for years. Analysts expect JLP, which is owned by its staff, or "partners", to report pre-tax profit of £352m, up 15pc from £306.6m last year.