What: A high-profile industry insider has accused the retailer of losing sight of what’s important after the Partnership’s chairman suggested bringing in an outside investor.

Why it is important: The letter emphasizes the impact that John Lewis Partnership has in UK retail.

Mary Portas, a retail consultant, wrote an open letter to John Lewis Partnership via LinkedIn, stating that John Lewis and Waitrose are apart of the fabric of everyday British life, urging the partnership that they’re fighting to save part of the UK’s cultural identity, not just turning around a mediocre retailer.

The letter comes after JLP stated job cuts would be coming and chairman Sharon White shared the idea of ending the partnership’s 100% staff-owned status by bringing in an outside investor in order to raise up to GBP 2 billion.

Portas stated that failure isn’t an option for John Lewis Parntership, and that the fight to save the retailer isn’t purely financial.

Mary Portas weighs in as John Lewis controversy continues