York and Sheffield John Lewis stores to remain closed permanently
Paul Bloomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central
John Lewis has confirmed that their stores in Sheffield and York will remain permanently closed after originally announcing the closure in March.
The head of the Sheffield branch said that the store holds a "special place" in his and many people's hearts in the city.
Patrick Duffy added: "It has been a great honour to be a part of a wonderfully dedicated team, who are so proud of the long and valued legacy of service we’ve held in Sheffield.
"I want to thank current and former Partners for all their hard work over the years - and for the memories that we have shared together.
"I also want to thank our customers for their loyalty, the joy they’ve brought to our shop and for the support they have shown for us in these past few months - we are very grateful and have been truly overwhelmed."
Kylie Gilson, Head of Branch for John Lewis York, said: "I’m really proud of the dedication, passion and professionalism my team of Partners have shown not only in the extraordinary circumstances retailers have faced over the last year, but especially since the proposal to close came forward earlier this year.
"I will miss them all, as well as our customers, who I am equally grateful to for their loyalty and custom over the past seven years. I am sorry we won’t now have the opportunity to say goodbye, but we will take away some very happy memories."
John Lewis has said that it will support Partners who cannot remain in the Partnership by offering retraining funds, CV and interview skills and extra redundancy payments for people who have worked with the business for over a year.