As John Lewis and other big names cut retail space, we’re not just losing shops – but spaces to dream in
There is an advert I like from the glory days of the department store: “I was lonely,” a woman says, “so I went to Selfridges … one of the biggest and brightest places I could think of.” Selfridge’s cut 450 jobs in 2020; Harrods axed 700. Debenhams went into administration in April 2019 and House of Fraser has been taken over by Mike Ashley. More than 17,500 shops disappeared from British high streets last year, but the closure of 16 John Lewis stores feels particularly significant. When lockdown lifts, half of the flagship John Lewis store on London’s Oxford Street may be converted into office space.
The high street has been in decline since the growth of out-of-town shopping centres in the 80s but despite this, John Lewis had maintained a reputation for solidity. Founded in 1864, the company is the UK’s largest employee-owned business; each worker has part-ownership of the company and a share of its annual profits. Yet Covid-19 restrictions have had a devastating effect on high-street businesses, particularly those in city centres. This is the first year in the company’s history that it has reported an annual loss, and the first time since 1953 that John Lewis won’t pay staff a bonus.
