Employee experience | How John Lewis & Partners improved staff satisfaction and earned £1.5million

by Jan 22, 2019Alumni news

John Lewis & Partners wanted in-store customers to have the same choice and convenience as online shoppers.

So they decided to give a digital handheld device to shop floor Partners. If a customer couldn’t find the right size or colour, the Partner could check stock in another shop or order it online for them.

But there were major hurdles to rolling out this kind of technology. What’s the best way to train thousands of staff members who have different technical abilities?

John Lewis & Partners managed to tackle this challenge resulting in a 15% increase in online sales processed in-store, worth £1.5mil, and improved Partner satisfaction.

Read the full article on the HR Grapevine website: https://www.hrgrapevine.com/content/article/2019-01-18-how-john-lewis-and-partners-improved-staff-satisfaction-and-earned-1-5million

Other news stories

Belfast Met: The Ripple Effect of receiving a Princess Royal Training Award

Rebecca Roberts shares how achieving an award helped move Health and Wellbeing higher up Belfast Met’s agenda.

Meet the 2026 Princess Royal Training Award recipients: from stained glass restorers to prison mentors

Every year are genuinely moved by what we read in the Princess Royal Training Award applications. This year was no exception. Today, we're delighted to share that 56 training programmes have been recognised in the 2026 Princess Royal Training Awards, chosen from 132...

Case study: investing in training to create top business performers at Mortgage Advice Bureau Scotland

By investing in new recruits this rapidly expanding mortgage broker is on track to reach its vision of becoming the largest broker in Scotland. In 2016 one of Scotland’s leading mortgage brokers, Clear Mortgage Solutions, entered into a joint venture with Mortgage...

In the press: 2018 recipients’ August news roundup

It has been a busy couple of weeks since we announced the 48 Princess Royal Training Awards recipients on HRH The Princess Royal's birthday. Since then the recipients have been featured in local and national news articles talking about their successful training...

Case study: leading hotels establish a partnership approach to nurture talent with Apprenticeship in Hospitality Scotland

 This forward thinking hospitality organisation demonstrates what can be achieved when hotels work together to develop the next generation of Scottish talent. Apprenticeship in Hospitality ScotlandDate 2018Region ScotlandSize 50-249 employeesSector Hospitality In 2014...

Case study: investing in training to drive up standards, quality and sales at George

Four years ago, clothing retailer George at Asda identified an issue with quality control checks in overseas factories that were costing the business time and money. To tackle the problem and improve the existing processes, they worked with City & Guilds on a...

Princess Royal Training Awards now open for entries

The Princess Royal Training Awards – designed to honour outstanding and innovative training and skills development programmes from UK employers – are now open for applications, until 29th March 2019. Created by the City & Guilds Group, which is celebrating its...

Case study: how dementia-friendly training made East of England Co-operative retailer of choice in the region

The East of England Co-operative has met a community need and found a competitive edge to differentiate its business by becoming the leading dementia-friendly retailer in East Anglia. In response to a growing need to help older people within the community, the Co-op...

Virtual coffee: 5 ways to take care of yourself while working from home

Though working from home is common, it’s a whole different kettle of fish when you’re forced to work remotely. And for some, that kettle of fish is literal. ‘My partner cooked fish for lunch today – very inappropriate as my office area is the kitchen/dining table.’...

In the press: Using training to respond to new challenges

If 2017 taught us anything, it’s that none of us knows what the future holds. We can make as many predictions as we like, but the reality is that life will always throw the unexpected at us. That’s true on a personal level, but it will also sound familiar to anyone...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maintaining a robust process: A new generation of Ambassadors strengthening the Princess Royal Training Awards

This year the Princess Royal Training Awards celebrated their eleventh year, and the programme continued to go from strength to strength, with 132 applications received from organisations committed to delivering exceptional learning and development.

Delivered by the City & Guilds Foundation, the Awards remain a unique, evidence-based programme that recognises and celebrates the strategic impact of learning, development and training within organisations. Applicants must demonstrate excellence against three Hallmarks of Excellence, evidencing why training was chosen to address an organisational challenge, how it was implemented and the impact it had on both the organisation and its people.

Reflecting the increasingly global nature of workforces and training provision, this year we expanded their eligibility criteria to include organisations delivering training both within the UK and Ireland, and internationally. This development recognises the contribution of organisations with overseas operations that had previously been unable to participate.

Award-Winning Impact: How P Flannery’s Skills Bootcamps are tackling the construction skills gap and building an inclusive skills pipeline

When P Flannery Plant Hire received a Princess Royal Training Award in 2025, it recognised a bold, employer-led approach to tackling one of the construction industry’s most persistent challenges: a critical shortage of skilled plant operators. Through the development...

Celebrating award-winning apprenticeships with The Princess Royal Training Award recipient, National Theatre

This week, Her Royal Highness visited the National Theatre to celebrate its pioneering apprenticeship programme, recognised with a 2024 Princess Royal Training Award (PRTA) and a special Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Commendation. The additional DEI...

How Liberty Kitchen is using skills to unlock potential and productivity

When Liberty Kitchen received a Princess Royal Training Awards in 2025, the recognition went beyond a training initiative. It provided a powerful example of how opening access to skills can support rehabilitation and create wider benefits for individuals, communities...

Celebrating community radio champions who are investing in skills, inclusion and opportunity

Across the UK, community radio stations play an extraordinary role — not just in broadcasting, but in transforming lives. On World Radio Day we wanted to spotlight four of the outstanding radio stations that have been recognised through our Princess Royal Training...

A decade of excellence: Royal recognition for UK and Irish organisations honoured at the Princess Royal Training Awards

The Princess Royal Training Awards are the UK and Ireland’s premier awards programme for recognising training excellence. On Tuesday 2 December, in an awards ceremony at Fishmongers Hall, the City & Guilds Foundation had the honour of recognising 56 outstanding...

HRH The Princess Royal celebrates best-in-class workplace training in 10th anniversary year for Awards

HRH The Princess Royal, President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, awards employers for outstanding training and skills development programmes which have positively impacted organisations, people and wider society. 15 August 2025: City & Guilds has...

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the importance of creating aspirations for young people

n this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the diverse range of Princess Royal Training Award organisations

In this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the value of City & Guilds to society

In this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This