Do you think John Lewis the shop, will survive coronavirus ?

[Lardlizard]

Please don’t let us lose that too !!!

Anne it’s in the same place but completely unrecognisable from the Robert Sayle shop, which was completely gutted. I also went into labour there whilst eating a cheese scone in the cafe

That's such a shame Molto, it was a proper department store. What is it with going into labour there?!

Loved the old Robert Sayle store when I was a little girl, and Eden Lilley.
But I can spend hours in the new cambridge John Lewis. It’s beautiful, and love the way it’s laid out.
Cambridge M&S on the other hand, apart from the beauty section is dire.

Hope so, apart from the staff losses. Their customer service has been abysmal for years. I wont shop there now at all.

I've still got a teddy bear from Eden Lilley! Loved that place - and Robert Sayle. And Borders, and Heffers / Heffers children's.

I do like new John Lewises - but I don't spend nearly as much time in them. They're too aspirational for me, I think.

John Lewis changed the way it operates a few years back - everything (store orders/complaints/queries) is now dealt with from central offices and call centres.

These things used to be dealt with at store level. For example, if you ordered a carpet from them, the people working in the store ordered it, arranged measurement, delivery and fitting. Now, the order goes to offices and you are contacted by their call centre staff.

They have lost their personal touch - the very thing that made it worthwhile shopping there.

Our John Lewis looks dated and has that neglected, run down air that BHS had before it finally shut up shop.

The new style John Lewis (Birmingham New Street) is absolutely hideous and if that’s all they’ve got to offer for future stores then there is no hope for them, unfortunately.

I enjoy shopping there whenever I'm in Birmingham. Great location.

I love the kitchen department but the fashion floor seems a bit sad with so many sizes out of stock. I always seem to go home and order online.

Eden Lilley cafe was lovely. Anyone remember Joshua Taylor? Or Laurie McConnell with the galleried staircase?

There will be store closures coming up definitely but they will be OK and continue to grow . Survival of the fittest .

They were already in trouble at the start of the year so this will definitely be hard for them.

All the criticisms - they've lost the personal touch - well, obviously - we all shop online how ridiculous to think that the stores we wander round once in a blue moon for a nice day out, or to have a coffee, should keep loads of staff so that the once in a blue moon purchase you make should have a personal staff member fawning over you and dealing with your every worry, GET REal
We all shop online and JL will go, not because they've lost the personal touch (which obviously they have to to cut costs) but because WE don't shop there enough.
All the snipey comments - ridiculous.

So many retailers have too much shop space, it’s very hard for all high street shops. I’d have thought M&S was more at risk than JL.

@EdwinaMay Are you married to John Lewis or something?

People are giving their opinion. Take it easy.

Tbh @EdwinaMay does have a point.

I'm an ex partner and was involved with the changes that started to be made about 6 years ago, the store of the future, new formats and modernisation.

They did it to match the customers shopping style, more customers shop online and most JL customers only go into store and make big purchases 2 to 5 times a year. So they made the changes to suit the shopper styles, however, the changes they made are not what the infrequent shoppers want. Its a horrible catch 22.

I also think Edwina makes a fair point. I realise online shopping is convenient if you have young children or caring responsibilities, or if the local shopping is poor (and it's not great where I live either). But it seems to me that the biggest benefits are for the retailer. They save shedloads in rent and they get away with fobbing us off with shit, knowing that half the time we'll shrug and make do, or that even if we return, they'll still get to sit on our money for a couple of weeks.

I'm always watching what people wear and you would think we'd be a much better dressed nation since we started shopping online, cos there's so much more choice, right? Well no, anything but.

I was in Cambridge recently, the new John Lewis seems more expensive than the old Robert sayle, but still has great haberdashery! I loved the old Cambridge department stores mentioned, I don't know how anyone can afford to live in the city though!

People are giving their opinion Take it easy

Well they aren't just giving their opinion they are being snotty because they aren't getting the service in the shops that they feel they got in the past so they aren't shopping there now because of 'bad' service and ignoring the fact that it is because they shop online, that the service has reduced. Blaming JL for the problem when it is us all shopping online which is the problem. Attitudes are the same with M&S.
I will miss JL when it goes.

Well it might not go just yet. They have traditionally paid big bonuses to staff and they didn’t pay it this year. They have also made their first ever trading loss. But, they will make changes. Stores will close. The attached gives a flavour of the issues they face.

I love the bedding in JL and buy large appliances from there for the guarantee.
I agree with others that the customer service has gone downhill.
I still have a storecard but tbh haven't used it in years, at one time I would buy all kinds from there but not any more. I remember getting dd's first Mason Pearson brush from there when she was a baby, she still has it and she's 19 now!

I hope it survives. I think there's a lot of goodwill for JL.

It’s not just rents that cause shops problems, it’s business rates. The article I quoted said JL pay £57 million a year. If these shops clubs, our councils will really really feel the pinch. Large sums of money will be lost for local services. We will all suffer. So shopping on line has very many unforeseen consequences.

One good one might be is that Debenhams in Guildford is up for sale. It’s not attractive as a department store but it is an attractive site for housing development in an area where it’s needed. So there could be a silver lining.

Clubs.... close

Yeah many consequences, some of which I might have been prepared to swallow if I was getting a better product and a better service by shopping online. But I'm not.

God, I hope not. I am a complete JL/Waitrose devotee. Food shop at Waitrose weekly, all electrical/tech/white goods bought from JL, oh and lighting, bedding, towels etc etc. Have a Partnership card from which we gain a few hundred pounds back each year. Not sure where I would go otherwise. Never been in a JL shop though!