Granite City to Face Major Loss

John Lewis, the heart and soul of the Aberdeen community, is to close. 

On the 25th of March 2021 it was announced that the John Lewis Aberdeen department store will be closing permanently and will not open up after lockdown. 

With the department store being a key attraction for visitors, especially from the Highland and Islands, the closure will have a devastating impact on Aberdeen’s hospitality sector. Moreover, with many High Street stores depending on the bigger corporations to draw in crowds, it is unclear as to what exactly the Aberdeen city centre will look like once allowed to open back up after lockdown. 

John Lewis is not the only major Aberdonian department store to have taken a massive hit from the lockdown restrictions. Debenhams have also recently confirmed that they will be no longer, having been taken over by Boohoo. With no department stores and many smaller retailers also being impacted financially, Aberdeen’s granite city will become a city of empty streets and broken dreams. A thing of the past, rather than the future.

As of writing, the petition, ‘Save our John Lewis Store in Aberdeen’, has gained over 25,000 signatures. Whilst many supporters have commented on the store being, “the heart of city” and “as much a part of Aberdeen as its harbour”. 
It is so far uncertain what the outcome of the petition will be, however there have been discussions in place in regards to how to save our John Lewis from completely disappearing from the Aberdonian streets. For instance implementing a Waitrose within the department store or moving to a smaller location.

The longevity of lockdown is the main factor impacting our valuable High Street stores. As such we must all do our part to help save our local community.Stay home, follow covid-19 government advice and download the ‘NHS: Test & Trace’ app. 

To sign the John Lewis petition go to: https://www.change.org/p/john-lewis-partnership-save-our-john-lewis-store-in-aberdeen 

For more information on the covid-19 guidelines go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance