John Lewis closures expected, with not all branches set to reopen from lockdown

But John Lewis stores had to shut at various points for lockdowns, although it could sell online and do click and collect.

John Lewis Partnership’s White said: “Regrettably, we do not expect to reopen all our John Lewis shops at the end of lockdown, which will also have implications for our supply chain.”

White said the firm is in discussions with landlords and final decisions are expected by the end of this month.

However, the chairman said that physical stores are important to the business, and there will continue to be John Lewis ‘destination’ stores, and the business is trialling having John Lewis areas in a handful of Waitrose sites. If successful that would be rolled out.

In total there are 331 Waitrose shops and 42 John Lewis branches. White did not give a number on how many John Lewis stores could close.

White said: “We are going through the greatest scale of change in the partnership’s 156-year history. As employee-owners, we share the responsibility of securing the partnership for future generations of customers and partners. Difficult decisions taken now will hopefully set the course for those next generations.”

Last year there were eight John Lewis store closures and a number of redundancies.

Any more store closures will be a blow to the high street, and come on top of other brands axing sites.

Last month online fashion giant Asos bought some of the crown jewels in the Arcadia group, including Topshop, but not the stores, while online retailer Boohoo’s deal for Debenhams does not include real estate.

Looking ahead, White said: “Many customers will have accumulated savings over the past year, having been less able to spend on holidays and going out. This pent up demand might be spent shopping or on the experiences that they have been deprived of in the past year. Equally, with unemployment and inflation both forecast to customers may be more hesitant about spending and more cost conscious.”