Brands’ battle for the eyeballs: watch all the Christmas ads here November 13, 2020 As some of the UK’s biggest brands have rolled out their seasonal ads, it’s starting to feel a lot more festive. The battle for the eyeballs started in earnest this morning as John Lewis launched its annual television advertisement, gaining over one million views within just two hours. However, Aldi’s ad so far tops the [...]
John Lewis axes 1,500 head office jobs November 4, 2020 John Lewis has announced it will axe a further 1,500 jobs as part of its plan to return to profit. The retailer said this morning that it will cut the head office roles by April next year, in a move that will save £50m as it targets £300m in cost reductions by 2022. It will [...]
John Lewis hints at Christmas advert as retailer launches £5m charity initiative October 31, 2020 John Lewis has hinted at the content of its highly anticipated Christmas advert as it launched a charity campaign to feed more than 100,000 families over the festive period. The department store chain, which also owns Waitrose, will kick start an appeal in November to raise £5m for Fareshare and Home-Start to provide food, support [...]
John Lewis to convert almost half of Oxford Street store into offices October 28, 2020 John Lewis has been given the green light to convert almost half of its flagship Oxford Street department store into office space amid turmoil for the UK’s retail sector. Westminster City Council last night granted the high street store conditional planning permission to transform three to eight floors into dual-use space. The local authority voted [...]
John Lewis unveils five-year plan to return to profit October 16, 2020 John Lewis Partnership has set out plans to return to profit, with a £1bn investment in boosting its online business and a focus on expanding its non-retail offering. The firm this morning said it is aiming to report £400m in profit by the end of the five-year transformation plan. The department store chain, which also [...]
Dame Sharon White: It is too early to predict the end of the high street October 15, 2020 Dame Sharon White has said it is too early to sound the death knell of the British high street even as she outlined further plans for the John Lewis partnership to move online. Speaking to the Times CEO summit, White said the “death knell for the High Street is rather premature”, just months after cutting [...]
John Lewis mulls cutting Oxford Street flagship store space by 40 per cent September 16, 2020 John Lewis is reportedly preparing to slash the size of its flagship Oxford Street department store due to a steep drop in West End footfall during the coronavirus pandemic. The retailer has applied to Westminster council to allow it to reduce its trading space by up to 40 per cent, while the third, fourth and [...]
John Lewis may convert department stores into affordable housing July 30, 2020 John Lewis is considering converting some of its store estate into housing in an attempt to strengthen its services business as the high street battles the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The retailer, which owns the department store chain and Waitrose, said it is exploring the concept of new mixed-use affordable housing with third parties. [...]
John Lewis to join Primark in rejecting government jobs retention bonus July 13, 2020 Department store chain John Lewis is expected to join Primark in rejecting the government’s offer of a job retention bonus. The chancellor last week announced that firms could claim a £1,000 bonus for each worker they bring back from furlough and continue to employ until at least January. John Lewis, which last week announced the [...]
John Lewis closes eight stores putting 1,300 jobs at risk July 9, 2020 John Lewis has announced that it will not reopen eight stores after the UK coronavirus lockdown, putting around 1,300 jobs at risk. The company said this morning that the stores, which includes the department store at Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre, had been struggling before the pandemic. John Lewis will also close its department store in [...]