Statement on John Lewis store closure
March 24, 2021
While no brand has been immune to the challenges of the last year and the ongoing trend towards online retail, since opening in 2014 John Lewis has been a key anchor of the Vangarde Retail Park and has been warmly welcomed by local residents.
I have already been in touch with John Lewis about their York site and have a call scheduled for tomorrow where I will make sure that any decision is not being made as a knee jerk reaction to a most difficult pandemic year. Soon the Community Stadium will be welcoming thousands of York City FC and York City Knights fans to the retail park each week as well as hundreds of families visiting the cinema and other leisure offerings within the complex, meaning John Lewis will have an incredible pool of potential custom to add to their already loyal shopper base.
Before the pandemic I had only heard good reports of the York outlet’s performance compared to other John Lewis outlets and I will make the case that York still has a promising future as a home to a John Lewis store.
In my discussions tomorrow, I will also ensure that John Lewis commit to effectively communicate with their staff, many of whom are my constituents, during this period of uncertainty and offer them the support expected from a responsible employer.
