John Lewis bosses are deciding which of their 50 department stores will NEVER reopen their doors even after coronavirus lockdown ends with it being ‘highly unlikely’ all will survive
- Department store chain closed all 50 stores when UK locked down on March 23
- It saw 400 staff made redundant and another 14,000 put on furlough
- Bosses have today revealed it is ‘highly unlikely’ all branches will re-open
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
John Lewis bosses are deciding which of their 50 stores will re-open after the coronavirus lockdown eases, with it being ‘highly unlikely’ all of them will survive.
The High Street giant was forced to close all 35 of its department stores and 15 smaller John Lewis At Home shops when Britain went into lockdown in March.
It saw 400 staff made redundant and another 14,000 furloughed.
But today retail bosses were making tough decisions on which stores will be shut for good – even when social distancing measures ease up.
At the beginning of March – just before the nationwide shutdown was announced – bosses announced ‘dire’ results.
John Lewis has consistently struggled with rising bills for rents, rates and staff in recent years – a tough environment that has also taken a toll on its department store rivals.
Pictured: John Lewis’s closed Oxford Circus store in central London is pictured this week
New boss Dame Sharon White, who joined from regulator Ofcom in Feburary, said it could take five years to return John Lewis to its former glory.
She said: ‘We need to reverse our profit decline and return to growth so that we can invest more in our customers and in our partners. This will require a transformation in how we operate as a partnership.
‘These are the most challenging but exciting times in retail for a generation.’
Earlier this year, the chain decided to hand almost £1million to its former managing director Paula Nickolds, despite staff losing their jobs and sales tumbling by a third.
John Lewis paid out £939,773 to Paula Nickolds, who was ousted from the department store business in January.
The group also confirmed an £892,362 pay packet given to Rob Collins, who had been managing director of the group’s Waitrose supermarket arm until he stepped down in October when the group’s restructuring was announced.
The High Street giant has struggled with business rates, rents and declining sales in recent years, with new boss Dame Sharon White (pictured), who joined from regulator Ofcom in Feburary, claiming it could take five years to return John Lewis to its former glory
Although John Lewis operations have ground to a halt during the pandemic, Waitrose, which is also part of the business, has seen sales rocket with Britons stocking up on essentials.
The supermarket’s sales increased by eight per cent in the period since January 26, with the chain offering dedicated shopping hours for NHS workers and the vulnerable.
The Mail On Sunday revealed over the weekend that John Lewis bosses had drawn up a blueprint for its reopening.
Andrew Murphy, John Lewis Partnership’s executive director of operations who has led the crisis strategy, said the chain could begin reopening some stores as soon as the middle of next month.
But it now looks unlikely that the chain will emerge from the crisis without store closures and job losses.
The chain decided to hand almost £1million to its former managing director Paula Nickolds (pictured), despite staff losing their jobs and sales tumbling by a third