John Lewis rules OUT return to UK shopping centre after ‘heartbreaking loss’ of store 6 years ago

JOHN LEWIS has confirmed it will not be coming back to a major UK shopping centre, more than six years after it closed. The retailer has ruled out a return despite pleas from shoppers. The sprawling site was shut six years ago Credit: Alamy Watford will remain without a John Lewis, after the retail giant vacated its Harlequin shopping centre unit in 2020. The 96,620 sq ft department store closed six years ago after more than 140 years of trading in the area, following “underperformance” at the site. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Now, a John Lewis spokesperson confirmed to the Watford Observer that: “While I’m afraid we currently have no plans to open a new shop, customers can still order online for home delivery or collection from their nearest Waitrose.” Shoppers have repeatedly attempted over the years to bring the retailer back to the area, with even the mayor Peter Taylor calling the closure a “heartbreaking loss”. One resident added on Facebook: “So many people really, really miss this lovely store, not a week goes by without someone mentioning it.” While another said: “I can’t understand why it closed down, such a shame.” In 2023, the sprawling unit was partially filled by a Poundland, followed by Choice, Dunelm and now a flagship 31,000 sq ft JD Gyms branch is set to join the site. John Lewis, then named Trewins, was first founded in 1880 as a small shop in Queens Road, Watford. Most read in Money After being acquired by the John Lewis Partnership during the Second World War, the store continued to operate at Trewins until its rebrand in 2001. In 2020, John Lewis deemed its Watford store “financially challenged” and permanently shut the site. Comment now