Mayor ‘astounded’ by city’s John Lewis store closure

WEST Midlands mayor and former John Lewis boss Andy Street launched a stinging attack on his old employer after it confirmed the closure of its vast Birmingham store.

Mr Street said the company could have found a way to keep the sprawling 250,000 sq ft site at New Street station open but refused to consider options.

The Conservative mayor spoke out as John Lewis shut eight stores forever, including the £35m Birmingham site that it opened to great fanfare just five years ago. Mr Street was managing director of John Lewis at the time, before leaving in 2016 to enter politics.

Mr Street said: “Having had a produc- tive meeting and subsequent correspondence with John Lewis bosses, including the chair Dame Sharon White, we are astounded by the decision to press ahead with the closure.”

He claimed to have put forward several viable alternatives to keep the Grand Central branch open but said these had been rejected by John Lewis. Mr Street argued that footfall at the store had increased year on year.

The site is owned by Hammerson and its closure puts 399 jobs at risk.

Last month, Dame Sharon unveiled a plan to save the retailer in which it could open garden centres and turn stores into affordable housing.