Retailer John Lewis has confirmed that staff will not receive a bonus for the first time since 1953.
The firm - which operates as a partnership with Waitrose - said it posted a £55m loss for the six months to July 25 after higher costs offset a 1pc rise in sales.
Its chairwoman Dame Sharon White told staff the announcement “will come as a blow”.
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It follows an announcement earlier this week that Waitrose was closing some stores, including one in Ipswich, Suffolk.
John Lewis warned back in May that it would not pay the usual staff bonus as the partnership saw a 23pc profit nose dive and store closures.
The group’s first-half losses have now risen to £635m.
The last time the firm decided not to pay a bonus to its staff was in the aftermath of the Second World War.
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