These John Lewis stores are confirmed for closure

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 18 August 2020

The Covid-19 crisis has been the final blow for stores already facing challenges, including some belonging to trusted retailer John Lewis. Last month John Lewis announced that eight stores were at risk, and it’s now confirmed that they will shut permanently.

The eight stores affected are the department stores in Birmingham and Watford together with At Home shops in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon, and Tamworth, and outlets at Heathrow airport and St Pancras station in London.

We’re huge fans of John Lewis, and while we always browse online, we really appreciate being able to go in store, too. Whether it’s to mosey through all the departments of the flagship stores, or to focus on the homewares in the At Home specialist stores, visiting John Lewis is a pleasure, and this is a loss.

However, the confirmation of the closures has reinforced the fact that online is the place to shop, offering convenience, choice, and an any-time experience. The lockdown measures have made it even more obvious why stores need a great online offering. And, because John Lewis has a brilliant website that makes browsing, selecting and buying easy, supporting the business and continuing to make brilliant buys at the store will be easy.

What’s more, you can even replicate the in-store experience of getting help from a personal shopper online at John Lewis now, with the recently announced virtual personal shopping appointments.

There’s further evidence that online is the place to shop from a whisper we’ve heard about the upcoming Black Friday. Dedicated bargain hunters (and who isn’t?), our sources tell us that most or even all of the deals from retailers are going to available online rather than in the bricks and mortar stores this year. Safety is paramount and this is a move we can get on board with – plus we were born to shop in our jammies.

We’ll keep our ears to the ground so you can be prepped to grab the savings, so keep checking in for the latest. And if you’re looking to save while you shop right now, go on over to our deals hub for the very best around.

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Sarah is a freelance journalist and editor writing for websites, national newspapers, and magazines. She’s spent most of her journalistic career specialising in homes – long enough to see fridges become smart, decorating fashions embrace both minimalism and maximalism, and interiors that blur the indoor/outdoor link become a must-have. She loves testing the latest home appliances, revealing the trends in furnishings and fittings for every room, and investigating the benefits, costs and practicalities of home improvement. It's no big surprise that she likes to put what she writes about into practice, and is a serial house revamper. For Realhomes.com, Sarah reviews coffee machines and vacuum cleaners, taking them through their paces at home to give us an honest, real life review and comparison of every model.