John Lewis exits Birmingham

Birmingham city centre has been dealt a blow by John Lewis’s announcement that it is closing its Birmingham store in the Grand Central shopping centre above New Street station. The store has been closed since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown and will not re-open. John Lewis was the anchor retailer for the Grand Central shopping centre, which opened in 2015. West Midlands mayor Andy Street, who was managing director of John Lewis from 2007 to 2016, said he was “astounded” by the retailer’s decision to close the shop. “John Lewis has failed to make the most of the opportunity that Birmingham has offered them,” he said. The retailer has announced the closure of seven other stores, in Swindon, Tamworth, Newbury, Croydon, Watford, Heathrow Terminal Two, and St Pancras International.