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"75% brands available elsewhere"..."reckless decision for online".

These two statements, taken together, don't add up to something that can be addressed to the management, and the frequent repetition of the latter does not take the discussion forward. It is like complaining that rain reduces trade.

Customers have spoken, they want the convenience of online and delivery/click and collect (or at least find and reserve).

For branded products, customers will go to whoever they trust to supply online. Not having an online offer won't drive customers to the shop for a branded offer, that revenue will simply be lost elsewhere.

The strategic question is whether it is better to protect the revenue at lower margin, or lose the revenue.

There are few levers to constrain how much customers use online without reputational impact to the retailer (limited marketing, in-store only promotions and per order/delivery charges is about the limit of what can be controlled). This is the modern retailer dilemma (alongside brands directly selling to customers online bypassing the retailer altogether).

The tactical question is whether the online/logistics investment has succeeded in retaining revenue and reducing cost to serve (vs. something more basic) at the scale that customers have demanded (i.e. avoiding reputation impact of disappointing customers by not delivering to expected promise). That answer is the correct test of whether the online/logistics investment is working or not and was a good/necessary, to hold management to account.

Having more unique products for both instore and online (i.e. assortment ranging policy) and unique levels of service and experience is the third point that is worth challenging to the management, to drive trade to John Lewis overall.

As Primark (and a few others) exceptionally demonstrate, you can drive customers to shops with a unique product offer (promoted online, maybe with store stock levels/reservations). But if you offer online for anything, the customer would expect you to offer it for everything.