Shopping centre boss ‘happy’ after Nottingham’s John Lewis survives cull

Nottingham’s John Lewis store will stay open, it has been revealed, despite the retailer announcing that another eight sites will shut permanently, with 1,500 jobs lost.

In February we reported that John Lewis’s Victoria Centre store could have been at risk of closure.

However, it has survived the latest cull, after John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White brought down the shutters on four “At Home” sites in Ashford, Basingstoke, Chester and Tunbridge Wells, and four department stores in Aberdeen, Peterborough, Sheffield and York.

Nigel Wheatley, centre director at Victoria Centre, said: “We are very happy that John Lewis & Partners has committed to reopening its store at Victoria Centre once lockdown measures are eased, although it is of course sad to hear that any retailer is having to close stores.

“Our aim is to ensure Victoria Centre remains the city’s prime retail destination. We continue to work closely with all of the brands at the centre, offering support through what has been an uncertain period. We are optimistic about the future and have positive conversations underway with a number of new and existing retailers, setting a more upbeat tone for the year ahead.

“We look forward to welcoming shoppers and tenants, including John Lewis & Partners, back to the centre when non-essential retail reopens from 12th April.”