John Lewis replies to Civic Society’s plea to save Peterborough store

John Lewis has turned down a plea from Peterborough’s Civic Society to reconsider the closure of its Queensgate store.
John Lewis is planning to close its Queensgate storeJohn Lewis is planning to close its Queensgate store
John Lewis is planning to close its Queensgate store

In a letter, sent on behalf of chairman David Turnock the Civic Society questioned the decision to close the store in the light of Peterborough’s continued expansion and university plans.

It stated that the economic prospects of the store in Queensgate would be strong with a planned multi-screen cinema opening and other retailers interested in moving into Queensgate.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This week the Civic Society received a reply from Laura Hannah, Director Relations Case Manager at John Lewis which said the move to online shopping meant the closure decision would not be reversed.

The letter stated: “Making announcements like this is always difficult and closing a shop is always a last resort. However, the effects of the pandemic, including three successive lockdowns and the acceleration of the switch to online shopping mean we can no longer profitably sustain a John Lewis store in some locations, which is resulting in the proposed closures announced recently.

“Given the significant shift to online shopping in recent years - and our belief that this trend will not materially reverse- we do not think the performance of these eight stores can be substantially improved.

“I understand the strength of your feelings and please trust I’ll be sharing your feedback with the relevant teams.”

Related topics: