The John Lewis Partnership has named eight JL stores that will not reopen, which include four of its housewares and home focused At Home stores in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth. The two full size department stores that will not reopen are Birmingham and Watford. Two small travel hubs at Heathrow and St Pancras are also on the list of closures.
The retailer says that, prior to the pandemic, these eight shops were already ‘financially challenged.’ The stores will no longer be sustainable as ‘the pandemic has accelerated the switch from shopping in-store to online’.
Before the virus, 40% of John Lewis’ sales were online, and this could now be closer to 60 -70% of total sales this year and next.
The closure of the Birmingham store has been described as a major blow for the city. The new store opened in 2015 as part of the £150m Grand Central shopping centre above the re-vamped New Street Station.
John Lewis will continue to invest heavily in ecommerce but insists that ‘shops have a vital role to play within the business’. Other John Lewis stores will be reopening on July 30, with Leicester’s re-opening date dependent on the lifting of the local lockdown.
Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership described the decision to close shops “incredibly difficult,” but stated: “We believe closures are necessary to help us secure the sustainability of the Partnership – and continue to meet the needs of our customers however and wherever they want to shop.”
She continued: “There are many reasons to be optimistic about the Partnership’s future. Waitrose and John Lewis are two of the UK’s most loved and trusted brands and we have adapted to the challenges of the pandemic by responding to the new needs of customers. We will soon announce the output of our strategic review which will ensure our brands stay relevant for future generations of customers.”
Top: The opening of John Lewis Birmingham in 2015, along with the major renovation of New Street Station. The store will not reopen, leaving a big gap for the city.
