John Lewis have announced that eight of its shops including the Intu Watford branch will not reopen sadly putting 1,300 jobs at risk.
Birmingham and Watford’s full size stores along with shops in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth are set to close for good.
Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership Sharon White said: “Closing a shop is always incredibly difficult and today’s announcement will come as very sad news to customers and Partners.
“However, we believe closures are necessary to help us secure the sustainability of the Partnership – and continue to meet the needs of our customers however and wherever they want to shop.
“Redundancies are always an absolute last resort and we will do everything we can to keep as many Partners as possible within our business.
“There are many reasons to be optimistic about the Partnership’s future. Waitrose and John Lewis are two of the UK’s most loved and trusted brands and we have adapted to the challenges of the pandemic by responding to the new needs of customers.
“We will soon announce the output of our strategic review which will ensure our brands stay relevant for future generations of customers.”
(Image: Google)
