Waitrose owner the John Lewis Partnership’s chair Jason Tarry is to take home a pay packet of more than £1.3bn this year.

Tarry, who joined the Partnership in September after a 33-year career at Tesco, was paid £415,000 for the first four and a half months in the role, including benefits and pension payments, according to the annual report from JLP, which was seen by The Guardian.

This was proportionate to his predecessor Sharon White, who earned £900,000 in basic pay and £1.1m including pension and other benefits.

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The group’s previous CEO, Nish Kankiwala, who stepped back into his non-executive role at the group in March, is understood to have been the Partnership’s highest paid director and reportedly received between £1.3m and £1.35m in total remuneration in 2024.

However, as there is no longer a chief executive role at the Waitrose owner, it said that from 1 April, Tarry’s pay has been updated to be “equalised to the amount paid to the chief executive officer to reflect the recalibration of the role”.

A JLP spokesperson told The Guardian: “Following the merger of the CEO and chairman roles, the remuneration committee recommended aligning the chairman’s compensation with that of the CEO. This reflects the chairman’s expanded responsibilities in leading both the executive team and the partnership board.”

It follows news earlier this week, which saw the Partnership unveil plans to end its lifetime staff discount for former employees who worked for at least 15 years for the business, as it shakes up its retirement benefits.

It says the changes, which are set be introduced in September, will mean more leavers have access to benefits at the end of their employment at John Lewis and Waitrose.