John Lewis to completely shut 8 branches placing 1,300 jobs in danger

JOHN Lewis is completely closing eight of its shops, placing 1,300 jobs in danger.

The shop closures mark the most recent casualty for the struggling UK excessive road, which has already seen a number of big-name retailers announce job cuts or collapse utterly following the coronavirus disaster.

John Lewis has revealed a listing of eight shops that will not reopen following lockdownCredit score: EPA

John Lewis revealed which retailers will not reopen following lockdown in an announcement this morning.

The listing contains two journey hub retailers at Heathrow and St Pancras, 4 At House retailers in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth and two full measurement department shops in Birmingham and Watford.

The division retailer chain says the store closures are essential to “safe the enterprise’s long-term future”.

It confirmed as many as 1,300 staff at the moment are vulnerable to being made redundant following the choice.

A session course of will now observe, with John Lewis saying it can make “each effort” to search out new roles for affected workers who need to keep within the firm.

John Lewis says the shops marked for closure have been struggling financially earlier than the pandemic as a result of extra clients buying on-line.

However coronavirus has “accelerated the swap from buying in-store to on-line”.

Earlier than the virus, 40 per cent of John Lewis gross sales have been on-line – however the firm predicts this might now be nearer to 60 to 70 per cent of complete gross sales this 12 months and subsequent.

The announcement from John Lewis comes as the ultimate wave of its store reopenings have been confirmed.

An additional 9 retailers in Aberdeen, Ashford, Brent Cross, Chichester, Oxford, Peterborough, Studying, Sheffield and White Metropolis Westfield will reopen on 30 July.

That is on high of its Leicester and Swindon Outlet shops, which have been already lined as much as reopen on that day.

John Lewis has 51 shops within the UK.

The division retailer chain has been reopening branches in levels after homeware shops were given the green light to welcome back customers on Might 21.

John Lewis has to this point reopened 22 retailers, whereas one other 21 will open their doorways later in July.

John Lewis is not the one retailer to announce retailer closures in latest weeks.

Pret a Manger announced it will close 30 shops, whereas Cath Kidston and Laura Ashley have already collapsed.

Debenhams has additionally been pressured to name in directors for the second time in 12 months.

We have got a full round-up of all of the shops and restaurants that have gone bust right here.

It comes as the Centre for Retail Analysis predicts that 20,000 retailers may shut for good this 12 months.

Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership stated: “Closing a store is at all times extremely troublesome and as we speak’s announcement will come as very unhappy information to clients and Companions.

“Nonetheless, we imagine closures are needed to assist us safe the sustainability of the Partnership – and proceed to satisfy the wants of our clients nevertheless and wherever they need to store.

“Redundancies are at all times an absolute final resort and we’ll do the whole lot we will to maintain as many Companions as potential inside our enterprise.”