John Lewis Boss Andy Street To Quit If Mayor Bid Succeeds.

John Lewis has confirmed it will lose its managing director if his application to be Conservative candidate for Mayor of the West Midlands is successful.

Andy Street, who has been in the role at the department store chain since 2007, is yet to face the party's formal selection process.

The company said he had told the group's chairman, Sir Charlie Mayfield, he was "interested in running for the office".

It added: "Should Andy be successful in his application, he has agreed with the chairman that he should step down from his role and a further announcement will be made to confirm the succession plan for the future leadership of the John Lewis brand."

Confirmation of his interest in running for political office ends months of speculation over his future plans.

He has overseen rapid growth for John Lewis during his tenure - with the company emerging as one of the few winners during the recession which followed the financial crisis.

However, Mr Street has not enjoyed a blemish-free time at the top.

He apologised unreservedly in 2014 after suggesting in a speech that France was "finished" .

The Times quoted him at the time as saying the country was "sclerotic, hopeless and downbeat" and urged British business people with investments in the country "to get them out quickly".

He later told Sky News that his efforts to be tongue-in-cheek and lighthearted had clearly gone too far.



Sky News.
Culled from Yahoo News.