Mayor: We will fight back after John Lewis
BIRMINGHAM city centre will “fight back” from the closure of the John Lewis store, West Midlands mayor Andy Street has insisted.
And a new occupier will make good use of the “iconic space” in the Grand Central shopping complex above New Street station.
John Lewis’s Birmingham department store opened in 2015 as part of the £750m Grand Central project. It cost £35million, but it is one of seven stores closed by the chain following the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Street, a former managing director of John Lewis who left the business in 2016, has been a vocal critic of the decision. He accepts the store has gone for good but predicted something else would take its place.
The mayor said: “I disgaree with that decision. This is an incredibly succesfull retail city, second in England in terms of retail sales. And it’s a huge disappointment, indeed surprise to me, that John Lewis have decided they can’t make a success of it.
“But from Birmingham’s point of view, we will fight back. We’ve got a great iconic location there. And it will be interesting to see what new occupier comes into that space.
“And of course the people who’ve lost their jobs, we hope they are able to find continued employment elsewhere with John Lewis.”
Last month the mayor joined leader of Birmingham City Council Councillor Ian Ward, and Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, in condemning the closure.
They said: “We are astounded by the decision to press ahead with the closure of the Birmingham store.”
The statement added: “Birmingham is one of the biggest shopping destinations in the UK, with retailers from all ends of the market enjoying huge success here over recent years. Grand Central is also a prime location at the heart of one the UK’s most connected transport hubs, with incredible footfall that has been increasing year on year.”