John Lewis: Is Oxford's Westgate branch set to close?

And if the unthinkable happened and the branch did shut, it would leave Oxford without a department store, following the closure of Boswells, and then Debenhams in the city centre.

The John Lewis chain, which also owns Waitrose, is understood to be considering the closure of eight stores in a bid to cut its significant property costs.

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The plan comes only eight months after the retailer announced the closure of eight stores following the initial impact of the pandemic.

Prue Leith visits John Lewis for a book signing Picture: Andy Ffrench

John Lewis, which currently operates 42 stores, is in the middle of a strategic shake-up aimed at increasing the proportion of its sales made through its online channels.

The High Street has been hit by repeated lockdowns.

The retail group has declined to comment on the reports and no stores earmarked for closure have yet been named.

The Sunday Times has reported that the chain’s bigger and older shops are thought to be the most at risk.

Julie Blake head of branch at John Lewis in Oxford

The final number of closures is still to be finalised, as it is subject to negotiations with landlords.

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And in some instances, John Lewis may close a store but relocate it to a smaller property nearby.

The move could be revealed at the same time as the company’s annual results are announced next month.

While John Lewis Partnership has not yet commented on the reports, when the company previously closed eight of its stores, putting 1,300 jobs at risk, a spokesperson said that workers would be made redundant or redeployed.

Staff at John Lewis in Oxford

In 2019 staff in Oxford launched a new scheme at Westgate to encourage its customers to be more environmentally friendly.

The ‘reduce, reuse and return’ pilot was intended to encourage a new culture among customers which could provide a blueprint for other shops.

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The pilot tested eight ways in which the retailer and its customers could reduce their impact on the planet, potentially saving thousands of tonnes of plastic and packaging from going to landfill.

Julie Blake, Partner and Head of Branch at John Lewis Oxford, said at the time: "We’ve had a great response from our customers about the clothing Buy Back scheme we introduced earlier this month and our beauty product recycling service.

John Lewis before it opened in 2017

"I hope they’re just as open to these other trials. My team and I are really excited about the impact this could have."

According to a study by accountancy firm KPMG, England’s high streets could lose up to 400,000 retail jobs as a result of more people working from home and shopping online admin the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sign goes up at John Lewis before the opening of Westgate in 2017 Picture: Richard Cave

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG in the UK, said: “As people travel less for work or to shop, town and city centres will need alternative offerings to fill vacant space and attract people to the area as we hopefully leave the pandemic behind sometime this year.

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“High streets will need to be reimagined as cultural and recreational hubs that will act as magnets for businesses and jobs able to transform less prosperous areas.”

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