John Lewis to turn down heat in stores as bills soar

John Lewis is to turn down the temperature in its department stores and Waitrose supermarkets will dim their lights in a bid to get runaway energy bills under control.

- Alex Lawson

The staff-owned John Lewis Partnership, which includes Waitrose, said its energy bill is threatening to go nearly £20m over budget.

Under the plan, Waitrose shops will operate on "half lighting" for the first two hours of trading from Monday to Friday. The group also hopes to save on energy costs by cutting temperatures in its buildings.

Internal communications seen by the Guardian show that "without intervention", the department stores-to-supermarkets group faces "£18m energy cost overspending against our original predictions" this financial year, to the end of January.