Council confident Sheffield city centre will bounce back after losing John Lewis
The store won't be reopening after lockdown
Sheffield Council tells us the city centre will bounce back after the loss of John Lewis.
The company announced yesterday the store is one of eight not reopening its doors after lockdown ends.
The move puts 299 jobs at risk in Sheffield.
But the council says there's still an exciting future for the city's high street, especially with the Heart of the City II regeneration underway.
Nalin Senevirantne is Director of City Centre development:
"Overall I'll think we'll bounce back. We're a fantastic city - we've got great people. This is a city in terms of the urban area of over 600,000 people. The ingenuity, the innovation that comes out of Sheffield is fantastic. It's a resilient place - it will bounce back.
"I think what we'll find is the city centre adapting to be a real showcase for the fantastic things that go on in Sheffield. It'll take a little time - there'll be adjustments to be made - but that's what I'm hopeful for. We'll see a city centre that bounces back with real experiences, things for people to do, ultimately creating that great day out again."
The announcement of closure comes after negotiations between the council and John Lewis last summer.
The council effectively bought the building and leased it back out to the department store, with provision for payments from the council to refurbish it.
Nalin says there are already ideas about what the building could be used for now:
"Already there areemails with people saying what about this, what about that. Most of the ideas are really exciting ideas - Sheffield people are very innovative. I think we just need to make sure we're supporting the staff at John Lewis first of all but I think beyond that the ideas will becoming flooding in thick and fast."