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.