John Lewis to close more stores putting 1,465 jobs at risk
Eight stores will not reopen when lockdown restrictions are lifted
John Lewis has announced the permanent closure of eight more stores, putting 1,465 jobs at risk. Closures include four department stores in Aberdeen, Peterborough, Sheffield and York as well as At Home stores in Ashford, Basingstoke, Chester and Tunbridge Wells.
The move comes in an attempt to adapt to changing shopping habits and follows the closure of 8 stores eight months ago, which resulted in the loss of 1,300 jobs.
This year saw the company suffer its first loss since 1864, with its finances expected to decline further over the coming year.
Earlier this month, John Lewis also confirmed that staff would not receive an annual bonus for the first time in 68 years, and should not expect a bonus until 2022-23.
The company scrapped the Christmas bonus in 2020 for the first time since 1953.
Operations of the Waitrose distribution centre will be moved to a third party logistics firm as part of the shake up, which will see 436 staff transferred to XPO Logistics.
Meanwhile, John Lewis has confirmed that its remaining 34 stores across the UK will reopen from 12th April in accordance with Government guidance.
Stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh will open on 26th April and 14th May respectively.
Find out which brands now own high street shops:
Burtons and Dorothy Perkins
Online retailer Boohoo have bought both the Dorothy Perkins and Burton brands from Arcadia group. They haven't taken the actual shops though, which will permanently close.
Wallis
Fashion brand Wallis was also part of the £25.2 million deal that Boohoo made for parts of the Arcadia group, including Burton and Dorothy Perkins, which mean the Wallis shops will also leave the High Street.
Topshop & Topman
ASOS have bought this part of the failed Arcadia group, paying £292 million for brands including Topshop and Topman. The shops themselves were not part of the deal though, so it looks like they will close.
Miss Selfridge
Miss Selfridge was another one of the brands that ASOS bought alongside Topshop, Topman and HIIT and will also mean the shops will close.
Debenhams
Boohoo have also bought the Debenhams in a £55 million deal which saw the company's 242-year-old name survive but all 118 stores shut.
Oasis and Warehouse
Boohoo have been expanding for the last few years - in 2020 they bought Oasis and Warehouse's online element for £5.25 million as the shops had already closed.
Karen Millen & Coast
Boohoo also bought the brands Karen Millen and Coast in 2019 when it went into administration and stores closed.