Jobs blow as John Lewis axes stores
HIGH STREET AGONY
JOHN Lewis is set to announce more shop closures – leaving staff worried about their jobs.
The department store chain said not all of its 42 branches will reopen when Covid restrictions ease next month.
A surge in online shopping during the pandemic has prompted the business into the rethink.
Dame Sharon White, who chairs the John Lewis Partnership, said closures would be “painful” but that there has been “a decade of change in shopping habits in one year”.
She added: “Some areas can no longer profitably sustain a John Lewis store.”
It is rumoured up to eight shops in the UK may shut – including stores in Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Southampton, Norwich and Cambridge.
However, the employee-owned group refused to say which branches will close and the number of job losses.
A spokeswoman said talks with store landlords are ongoing. John Lewis said
BY GRAHAM HISC0TT redeploying staff elsewhere in the business is always looked at, with redundancies a “last resort”.
Last year, John Lewis axed 1300 staff and closed eight stores. While the firm will have fewer big shops, it aims to open more smaller “service stores” and outlets in branches of sister chain Waitrose. It also pledged to launch cheaper ranges when its department stores open – along with other non-essential shops.
The shake-up comes as the group plunged to a £517million loss for the 12 months to January 30, from profits of £146million the previous year. It is the first loss in its 157-year history. The firm previously confirmed it was scrapping its staff bonus for the first time since 1953.
Shadow business minister Lucy Powell said: “This is really worrying for John Lewis employees and another blow for our struggling high streets.”