John Lewis Partnership is ‘rebalancing’ store estate as it confirms changes.
The John Lewis Partnership has confirmed that it is not planning to re-open eight of its 42 John Lewis shops from lockdown, as it rebalances its store estate to reflect how consumers want to shop.
The remaining 34 John Lewis stores will re-open from 12 April (subject to government guidance), with the exception of Glasgow which will re-open from 26 April and Edinburgh, which will re-open from 14 May.
The eight shops identified for closure include four ‘At Home’ shops in Ashford, Basingstoke, Chester and Tunbridge Wells, plus four department stores in Aberdeen, Peterborough, Sheffield and York. The move would affect 1,465 Partners.
The retailer said that it could ‘unfortunately no longer profitably sustain a large John Lewis store in some locations where we do not have enough customers’, noting that the eight stores were financially challenged prior to the pandemic.
Given the significant shift to online shopping, the company doesn’t believe the performance at the eight stores can be substantially improved.
JLP expects 60-70% of John Lewis sales to be made online in the future, with nearly 50% of its customers now using a combination of both store and online when making a purchase.
The company has previously stated that it will be improving the next day Click and Collect service in Waitrose stores and offering more local collection points through third parties. It is also trialling the introduction of John Lewis shopping areas in Waitrose stores and, by the autumn, Waitrose general merchandise products will be sourced by John Lewis.
It will also be testing new formats of smaller, local neighbourhood shops offering the best of John Lewis.
“The high street is going through its biggest change for a generation and we are changing with it,” commented Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership. “Customers will still be able to get the trusted service that we are known for – however and wherever they want to shop.”
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