Mystery surrounds John Lewis re-opening date in Sheffield after new announcement

The firm has announced plans to open nine more shops next Thursday, following the reopening of an initial 13 shops this week, as retailers begin welcoming shoppers back to stores.

But the flagship store in Barker’s Pool, which has been shut since March, is not among them.

The John Lewis department stores which will reopen to customers on June 25 are Cribbs Causeway, Leeds, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Peter Jones, Southampton, Tunbridge Wells and York, the retailer said.

Further announcements on reopenings will be made in the coming weeks, the employee-owned retailer said, and more customers will be allowed in stores following lessons learned from the stores already open.

Earlier this month, John Lewis announced plans to relocate its Sheffield store.

The firm has office space in a building called Barkers Pool House next to its department store in Sheffield city centre, but from November these facilities will be moved into the existing John Lewis shop to make way for the council-led £470 million Heart of the City II scheme.

Barkers Pool House sits on part of the site earmarked for a block containing a new Radisson Blu hotel. John Lewis has had offices there since the 1970s – eventually a bridge was built over Burgess Street providing a direct link to the store.

Nalin Seneviratne, the authority’s director of city centre development, said: “John Lewis occupies part of Barkers Pool House and they have agreed to vacate that space from November this year to enable the redevelopment of the block to happen. They will be relocating their facilities that are in Barkers Pool House to the current store building."

A spokeswoman for John Lewis said: “Our utmost priority is the safety of our customers and partners which is why we are taking a phased approach to the reopening of shops, with comprehensive safety and social distancing measures in place.