Save the John Lewis York Store!

The Issue

On Wednesday 24th March, the beautiful City of York received the sad news that its John Lewis Store would permanently close. This will undoubtedly be a huge loss to the City & we must save it!! When the store opened in 2014 we were enthralled with its homeliness & its wonderful product range.

Today, it has offered many customers both a  solace & a distinctive shopping experience; whether it be a mug of tea or coffee in their inviting cafe, a good quality Food Mixer from their unbeatable baking range, or an innovative television from their tantalising technology department. But it’s not just the product range that has a lot to offer; it’s the incredible staff. The York Store could not have a more friendly & attentive team if it tried & they too, deserve to retain their positions.

The Pandemic has inflicted its wrath upon many businesses, & many of them have had to make painful decisions. We cannot deny that. But if us Brits are to adopt our true patriotism, we will fight for the things that matter. And John Lewis York MATTERS.

This petition urges John Lewis & Partners, The City of York Council, the Government & the Landlord to swiftly work together & explore an alternative to permanent closure. And to the readers, we thank you for your support!

And if you have a moment, please watch our Campaign Video on YouTube! https://youtu.be/ZyV7q74VmxU 

avatar of the starter
Andrew SimpsonPetition Starter
Media enquiries
This petition had 5,550 supporters

The Issue

On Wednesday 24th March, the beautiful City of York received the sad news that its John Lewis Store would permanently close. This will undoubtedly be a huge loss to the City & we must save it!! When the store opened in 2014 we were enthralled with its homeliness & its wonderful product range.

Today, it has offered many customers both a  solace & a distinctive shopping experience; whether it be a mug of tea or coffee in their inviting cafe, a good quality Food Mixer from their unbeatable baking range, or an innovative television from their tantalising technology department. But it’s not just the product range that has a lot to offer; it’s the incredible staff. The York Store could not have a more friendly & attentive team if it tried & they too, deserve to retain their positions.

The Pandemic has inflicted its wrath upon many businesses, & many of them have had to make painful decisions. We cannot deny that. But if us Brits are to adopt our true patriotism, we will fight for the things that matter. And John Lewis York MATTERS.

This petition urges John Lewis & Partners, The City of York Council, the Government & the Landlord to swiftly work together & explore an alternative to permanent closure. And to the readers, we thank you for your support!

And if you have a moment, please watch our Campaign Video on YouTube! https://youtu.be/ZyV7q74VmxU 

avatar of the starter
Andrew SimpsonPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Pippa Wicks, Partner & Executive Director, John Lewis
Pippa Wicks, Partner & Executive Director, John Lewis
Responded
“We recently announced proposals to close eight John Lewis shops where we can unfortunately no longer profitably sustain a store. Our ambition, and expectation, was that we would remain part of the communities for many years to come and continue to serve our customers there - something we have taken great pride in. I therefore share in the huge disappointment that the news has caused so many people. The strength of feeling from our customers and the communities we serve underlines what a difficult decision proposing to close in these locations has been. However, we are sadly not immune to the well-known challenges facing so many businesses. The high street is going through its biggest change for a generation and we, like many others, have to adapt and change with it in order to ensure the John Lewis Partnership has a sustainable future. The eight shops we’re proposing to close were financially challenged prior to the pandemic and its effects, including three successive lockdowns and the acceleration of the switch to online shopping, has meant the impact on the future viability of these stores is too great. The difficult reality is that, despite the outstanding efforts of everyone working in these shops and the commitment of our customers, we do not believe the performance of the store can be financially improved. We will shortly discuss the planned closure in more detail during consultation with those affected. If we do close, we will make every effort to find them new roles in the Partnership and we have put together a package of support to help our colleagues. I appreciate my response is not the one you wanted to hear, but I can assure you that closing any shop is always a last resort and not something we do without exploring all alternatives first. Lastly, I would like to express my thanks to all our customers at the eight shops for their loyalty and again to everyone who has taken the time to contact us.”
Sharon White
Sharon White
Chair
Paul Caddick
Paul Caddick
Landlord

Petition Updates

Share this petition

Petition created on 24 March 2021