Eight stores to close

JOHN LEWIS is to permanently close eight of its stores, putting 1,300 workers at risk.

The John Lewis Partnership said the decision was made to “secure the business’s long-term future and respond to customers’ shopping needs”.

It said department stores in Birmingham and Watford will be affected, along with four At Home stores in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth, and travel sites in Heathrow and St Pancras.

The John Lewis at Home store in Croydon is among those to be axed