150 years old and still going stronger than ever.

If you have the good fortune live in Britain there is no other company that has the 'Brighton rock' phenomena  running through it than John Lewis. It celebrates 150 of trading on Oxford Street this spring. It represents all that is best about British retailing. Not for nothing did Napoleon say we were a nation of  "shop keepers". The English in particular have taken to on-line shopping more than any other nation in the European Union. Perhaps its in our DNA to be entrepreneurial. The Industrial Revolution could only happen here according to the avant gard sociologist the German Max Weber in his insight book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Today the John Lewis partners share in the profits of the company. This needless-to-say means that if you provide excellent service to each customer they will come back for more, and they do. Despite the recession from 2008 the John Lewis partnership has flourished. Some years ago I use to go to what was then called John Barnes in Swiss Cottage, after my analysis to recover. Long may John Lewis continue for another 150 years.