On his father's death he formed the John Lewis Partnership and began distributing profits among its employees in 1929.
On his 21st birthday he was given a quarter share in the business, and in 1914 assumed control of his father's second shop, Peter Jones in Sloane Square, London.
He announced in 1960 that in his will he was leaving roughly £100,000 (equivalent to £2.9 million in 2023) to his successor, Mr Miller, to help the company.
[2] In 1923 Spedan Lewis married Sarah Beatrice Hunter, a graduate of Somerville College, Oxford, and a buyer within the company from 1922.
From 1933 until his death he was a fellow of the Linnean Society, which awards its John Spedan Lewis Medal for contributions to conservation.