John Lewis today verified all 8 retail web-sites introduced in July as at-chance of closure will now by no means reopen.
The closures consist of John Lewis’s Grand Central department retail outlet in the coronary heart of Birmingham, which has been closed due to the fact lockdown.
The retailer mentioned the affected merchants experienced presently been fiscally challenged prior to the pandemic and that the shift to on line buying through coronavirus meant the stores would not be commercially feasible in the potential.
The business enterprise stated it would work with personnel to discover new roles where doable.
In a statement, John Lewis mentioned: “This is a incredibly unfortunate occasion and one particular we never ever believed was conceivable when we to start with opened these outlets.
“Our expectation was that we would trade in these destinations for a lot of a long time to occur, but they had been fiscally challenged right before the pandemic and we have not been ready to come across a way that would enable us to flip that all around.
“We are grateful to those who have expressed their support because announcing the proposed closure very last thirty day period, and for the outstanding professionalism our partners have shown – they continue to be our absolute precedence and will be thoroughly supported around the coming months.”
John Lewis’s Grand Central department store in the coronary heart of Birmingham is a particular blow.
West Midlands mayor Andy Street explained: “A unfortunate piece of information that is to do with John Lewis in central Birmingham.
“We ended up contacted yesterday by them and they have indeed confirmed to their personnel that the proposal to shut the central Birmingham shop has become a fact and it will not now reopen.
“That is despite myself, (leader of Birmingham Metropolis Council) Ian Ward and (chief government of the West Midlands Expansion Enterprise) Neil Rami acquiring achieved with them and place forward what we feel were being incredibly practical options which they have decided on not to settle for.”
Road, a former handling director of John Lewis, had been urging the chain to reverse what he termed the “dreadful mistake” of closing its Grand Central branch, since the proposal was declared at the end of July.
The merchants closing are Croydon, Watford, Heathrow Terminal Two, St Pancras Worldwide, Birmingham, Swindon, Tamworth and Newbury.
