John Lewis could permanently close a further eight of its 42 existing department stores in the coming months, another big hit to the High Street as non-essential shops remain shut under coronavirus restrictions.

Last year the retailer axed 1,400 jobs after announcing eight John Lewis store closures and four Waitrose supermarkets.

Stores that were closed included smaller travel hub shops at Heathrow and St Pancras, four At Home shops in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth, and two full-size department stores in Birmingham and Watford.

According to The Sunday Times, the number of closures has not yet been confirmed, and depends on negotiations with landlords.

Some stores could be shut but relocated to smaller properties, but its been reported that older shops are more at risk of permanent closure.

The UK has already seen 27,000 retail job losses and 1,023 store closures in the first six weeks 2021, according to figures by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR.)

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