Petition to keep John Lewis in Sheffield open has almost 8,000 signatures in less than 24 hours

John Lewis announced yesterday, March 24, that they would not be reopening their Sheffield city centre store, despite financial support from the council.

John Lewis chairman Sharon White said the pandemic has had an ‘irreversible impact’ on retail, and the decision has been made despite its ‘long history’ in Sheffield.

Sharon White, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership said: “We appreciate this is incredibly difficult news for our Partners and the people of Sheffield.

"We are acutely aware of our long history in the City and are hugely grateful to all our customers in Sheffield for their loyalty, our Partners for their outstanding work over the years and Sheffield City Council for its continued support.

"While the shop was financially challenged prior to the pandemic, we were determined that with additional investment, we would be able to play a key role in the regeneration of the city centre.“However, the pandemic has had an irreversible impact on retail and we must make difficult decisions to ensure the Partnership is sustainable in the future.

Now, a petition set up by Samuel Thompson to keep the store open has almost 8,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.

Signatures have come from supporters stating how ‘devastating’ the closure would be, and how it would a drastic impact on the city centre.

The petition says: “John Lewis is set to close eight stores across the country, at lot of them being in the north.

"John Lewis Sheffield, which was previously Cole brothers, has been a core part of Sheffield's city centre for decades.

"With Sheffield's heart of the city redevelopment plan, a closure of this proportion will set back the project massively. As a Sheffield resident I know the main reason I head into the town centre and not to Meadowhall is John Lewis and now that it's closed I can't see that people will choose town over Meadowhall.

"This is a huge setback for Sheffield's development to become a major city centre. Help Sheffield grow and sign this petition to stop John Lewis Sheffield closing, and in turn, stop the city of Sheffield falling into stagnation.”

Visit www.change.org/p/john-lewis-partnership-keep-john-lewis-sheffield-open.