John Lewis to permanently close eight more stores - see the full list
25 March 2021, 11:24 | Updated: 25 March 2021, 11:29
Which John Lewis stores are shutting down? Here's the full closing list...
John Lewis will close eight more shops across the UK after lockdown ends.
The company told staff on Wednesday morning that it will not reopen these stores, putting 1,465 jobs at risk.
The eight shops set to close are made up of four At Home stores in Ashford, Basingstoke, Chester and Tunbridge Wells.
Four department stores are also shutting in Aberdeen, Peterborough, Sheffield and York.
The remaining 34 John Lewis stores across England are set to reopen from April 12, subject to the government’s lockdown roadmap.
Glasgow’s store will open on April 26 and Edinburgh on May 14, also dependent on government guidance.
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This comes as John Lewis warned of ‘painful’ store closures earlier this month after the pandemic saw it face its first ever annual loss since opening in 1864.
Eight closures were already announced in 2020, which cut around 1,300 jobs.
Chairman Sharon White has said that the decision to close stores has been necessary due to a ‘decade of changes in shopping habits in one year’.
She told the BBC: "There is no getting away from the fact that some areas can no longer profitably sustain a John Lewis store.
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"Regrettably, we do not expect to reopen all our John Lewis shops at the end of lockdown, which will also have implications for our supply chain."
She added: "We want to ensure our stores reflect how customers want to shop - 'right space, right place'."
Online orders now account for three-quarters of the department store’s sales, with other retailers also struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic.
Debenhams announced the closure of all it’s stores back in January, with Boohoo buying the brand for £55million.
Boohoo said Debenhams’ remaining stores will be wound down after the high street lockdown ends and they can reopen to sell off stock.
“The group will only be acquiring the brands and associated intellectual property rights,” Boohoo said at the time.
“The transaction does not include Debenhams’ retail stores, stock or any financial services.”
