John lewis, an upmarket department J store, has a special place in the minds of Britain's consumers. In a speech to City folk on January 16th, Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader and deputy prime minister, called for "more of a John Lewis economy". Yet he was enthusing not about the chain's pretty teapots and bed linens or even its fair pricing and kindly service, but the company's partnership model. It is owned by its 76,500 workers-or, to be more precise (which Mr Clegg was not), an independent trust holds all the shares and allots staff an annual bonus. John Spedan Lewis (pictured), son of the store's founder, formed the partnership in 1928 partly to head off rising communist sentiment. But despite his belief that the model could replace traditional capitalism, few have adopted it. Even Charlie Mayfield, John Lewis's boss, says it is "not the answer to all ills".
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