The managing director of John Lewis has announced plans to run as the Conservative candidate for mayor of the West Midlands.
Following rumours over the past month, the department store confirmed Andy Street had put his name forward for the role and would leave his position if he his application was accepted.
A John Lewis spokesman said: ‘Should Andy be successful in his application, he has agreed with the chairman that he should step down from his role and a further announcement will be made to confirm the succession plan for the future leadership of the John Lewis brand.'