The John Lewis Partnership has announced that its chair, Dame Sharon White, will leave the business in early 2025. White’s five-year term will come to an end in February 2025, making her the shortest-serving chair in the history of the partnership.

The appointment of White’s replacement will be led by Rita Clifton, the John Lewis Partnership deputy chairman.

White said that she is leaving the business to ensure that there is a smooth and orderly succession process and handover. She added that the partnership is making progress in its modernization and transformation, and that she is committed to handing on the strongest possible partnership to her successor.

The news of White’s departure comes just a few weeks after the partnership announced that its turnaround plan would take two further years to deliver due to ongoing inflationary pressures.