John Lewis to create 200 jobs with new store in Tamworth
JOHN Lewis is to expand its presence in the West Midlands with a new store in Tamworth, the partnership has revealed.
The retailer is set to open a new At Home store on the Ventura Retail Park, on the fringe of the town centre. The new store is expected to create up to 200 new jobs.
The move follows the company’s recent announcement of a major new flagship department store in Birmingham. The multi-million pound store will be the anchor unit of the redeveloped New Street Station and will create around 650 new jobs.
The move is also significant because it follows the recent appointment of John Lewis managing director Andy Street as the new chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The LEP area includes Tamworth, together with Lichfield, Harborne and Sutton Coldfield where the partnership has Waitrose supermarkets, while its John Lewis store in Solihull is the anchor unit of the Touchwood Shopping Centre.
Mr Street’s growing influence on the area is thought to have been key to his appointment to LEP, which becomes effective from May 1.
He has already said the LEP has ambitious plans for the economic rejuvenation of the area and the growing presence of the John Lewis Partnership, which is said to have further growth plans for the West Midlands region, could be crucial to this.
Mr Street said: “As a Midlander myself, I am personally excited by the prospect of using the skills I have developed as managing director of John Lewis for the benefit of the citizens of the region.”
The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP is one of the largest nationally, comprising nine local authorities – Birmingham, Solihull, Cannock, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Tamworth, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest. The area has a total population of almost two million, with a GVA of £36bn – 40% of the entire West Midlands region, making the LEP area one of the most important nationally.
The LEP has recently been chosen by Government to develop an Enterprise Zone.
