John Lewis closes all 50 shops for first time in its 155-year history due to coronavirus (including flagship Oxford Street store that last closed when it was bombed by the Nazis in 1940)
- Shop has never closed its stores apart from flagship shop bombing in WWII
- Company website will continue to operate as normal and Waitrose is unaffected
- Chairman Sharon White said: ‘The welfare of our customers is our priority’
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John Lewis Partnership has announced it has made the ‘difficult decision’ to temporarily close all 50 John Lewis shops at close of business on Monday as a result of the impact of coronavirus.
The shop has never before closed its stores apart from when the flagship John Lewis on Oxford Street was bombed in 1940 during World War Two, and even then partners retained trade by setting up a desk outside the shop and took orders to other shops.
The announcement comes as the UK has been rocked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement to close all pubs, restaurants, cafes, gyms and cinemas in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
John Lewis Partnership has announced it has made the ‘difficult decision’ to temporarily close all 50 John Lewis shops at close of business on Monday as a result of the impact of coronavirus
Britain’s once busy and bustling streets have been left desolate since the public has been encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
High-street shops have been hit hard by the virus outbreak and many are struggling to stay afloat.
The company’s website will continue to operate as normal and Waitrose shops and website will also continue to function.
In an announcement on the John Lewis website they company said: ‘This will be the first time in the 155-year history of the business that it will not open its shop doors for customers.
‘As a consequence, Waitrose food offers within department stores at Watford, Southampton and Bluewater will also close but johnlewis.com, which generates half the brand’s business, will continue to operate as normal.’
The shop has never before closed its stores apart from when the flagship John Lewis on Oxford Street was bombed in 1940 during World War Two (pictured)
Even after the Oxford Street store was bombed (pictured here in 1945), partners set up a desk outside the shopfront and took orders to other shops
Excluding public holidays, localised closures and a direct bombing of John Lewis Oxford Street, in 1940 and on Knight and Lee and Tyrell and Green, Southampton in 1940 and, Weston-Super-Mare’s Lance and Lance in 1942, John Lewis has never closed a store.
Chairman Sharon White, said: ‘The welfare of our customers, communities and Partners is always our absolute priority.
‘While it is with a heavy heart that we temporarily close our John Lewis shops, our Partners will, where possible, be taking on important roles in supporting their fellow Partners, providing critical services in Waitrose shops and ensuring our customers can get what they need through johnlewis.com, which is seeing extremely strong demand.’
Workers clear wreckage at John Lewis’s department store in Oxford Street, London, after a Nazi air attack in 1940
Some of the staff of John Lewis’s store in Oxford Street, sorting goods salvaged from the store after it had been damaged by bomb World War Two
The company’s website will continue to operate as normal and Waitrose shops and website will also continue to function. Pictured is a deserted Oxford Street in London as a result of the coronavirus outbreak
She added: ‘I also want to give my personal thanks to every single partner for their extraordinary efforts, I am truly grateful. And to the wider community for pulling together with us during such unprecedented times.’
All 338 Waitrose shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands will remain open as will waitrose.com.
Over 2,000 John Lewis Partners are already working in Waitrose shops to assist with the unprecedented demand for grocery and other essential goods and wherever possible, John Lewis Partners will be redeployed to provide additional support to Waitrose and johnlewis.com for our non-food online business.