John Lewis has been granted permission to turn almost half of its flagship Oxford Street shop into offices.
The department store is the company’s largest and oldest, but much of the enormous site is not being used.
It could turn parts of the 678,700sqft building into offices, or give it over to in-store customer experiences.
John Lewis has been granted permission to turn almost half of its flagship Oxford Street shop into offices
It is understood the shop will take up the basement and bottom three floors of the store.
John Lewis chairman Dame Sharon White
Elsewhere on Oxford Street, Selfridges has been hailed as a leading ‘destination’, drawing customers to visit its skate park, cinema and boxing gym.
Earlier this year John Lewis signed a deal with Peloton, which sells studio cycling machines, to allow customers to have a go on bikes while shopping.
The John Lewis Partnership has closed eight shops and axed 1,300 staff during the pandemic.
Earlier this month, chairman Dame Sharon White (pictured) refused to rule out further store closures as she laid out a plan to return profits to £400 million by 2025. Last year the group made £177 million.