John Lewis names the 13 branches reopening from June 15
JOHN Lewis has today revealed its plan to reopen 13 stores - with the first two set to welcome customers on June 15.
Stores in Poole, Dorset, and Kingston, South West London, will be the first to open their doors as non-essential shops return next month.
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Three days later a further 11 stores will open its doors and more shops will return through the summer if customers adhere to social distancing rules.
The shops to open on Thursday, June 18 are Bluewater, Cambridge, Cheadle, Cheltenham, High Wycombe, Horsham, Ipswich, Norwich, Nottingham, Solihull and Welwyn.
These have been chosen because they are accessible by a car. The shop has said the rest of its shops will reopen in a phased approach, although it hasn't yet confirmed when this will happen.
John Lewis closed all of its 50 shops in March, following the Prime Minister's coronavirus lockdown announcement on March 23.
The online business, Johnlewis.com, continued to operate as normal, alongside Waitrose shops and waitrose.com.
Following Boris Johnson's announcement that all non-essential shops should reopen in June, John Lewis has confirmed the first phase of openings.
Yesterday it said it was planning a phased reopening and today it has named the first 13 shops included.
When John Lewis begins to open branches, it will make changes to make sure customers and staff adhere to social distancing guidelines for retailers.
Changing rooms, cafes, or beauty treatments will not be available when the shops reopen.
Other measures include a customer service host, who will welcome customers into shops and answer questions they have about social distancing.
There will also be a queue at both entrances and busy areas of shops, a contactless payment limit of £45, rigorous and frequent cleaning, and limited numbers of customers in stores.
A full list of new measures can be seen in the box below.
Before shops reopen, each branch will go through a four-week reopening preparation programme including counting stock, deep cleaning, staff training, and preparation of new social distancing measures.
Virtual queuing, returns drop boxes, and enabling click and collect from John Lewis carparks may be brought in, depending on how well customers react to the first 13 branches being opened.
Sharon White, Partner and Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “The momentous events of the last few months have tested our resilience as a business, but our resourcefulness, innovation and the spirit of cooperation between Partners has really shone through.
“It’s been heartwarming to see John Lewis Partners stepping into different roles to support our Waitrose supermarkets and to keep johnlewis.com running and I’m proud of everything our Partners across both our brands have done to help us get to this point.
The safety measures John Lewis is introducing
John Lewis stores will introduce the following measures
- A “Customer Service Host” will welcome customers into stores and answer any questions while managing customer numbers and explaining to customers what changes they might see in store
- Queues both at entrances and busy areas of the shop
- Reduced store entrances
- A cap on the number of customers entering stores
- Prominent social distancing signs
- Protective screens at checkouts and areas of the shop where two-metre social distancing cannot be achieved between customers and staff
- Limits on the number of people on escalators and lifts
- Rigorous and frequent cleaning
- Hand sanitiser for customers to use at all entrances
- Social distancing in back of house areas
- A contactless payment limit of £45
- Limiting the number of additional customer services - for example close-contact beauty services will not be offered and changing rooms will be shut
- Safe and simple returns process - we are going to separate returned stock from new or old stock for 72 hours
“Our shops reopening is a sign of hope as we begin to find our new normal. There’s an opportunity, now, for us, to come back stronger as a business, and offer the safety and reassurance that customers will want.
“However, while we have experience of social distancing in our Waitrose shops, we will need to establish new ways of working in our department stores.
"We are taking this cautious approach to be able to learn as we go and to make sure that our shops are as safe as they can possibly be for our customers and Partners.”
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Other shops including Next and Debenhams have also released their plans for reopening.
A number of restaurants and fast food chains have also begun opening their doors again.
While pub chain Wetherspoons has also announced plans to repen all of its pubs.