Overview
- This week John Lewis proposed removing foreign‑exchange bureaux from 30 stores and dedicated gift‑wrapping counters in 25 stores and has opened a formal consultation that puts roughly 200 jobs at risk.
- The company says demand has fallen because many customers now order currency online for home delivery or store collection and increasingly pay by card or digital wallet when abroad.
- If approved after consultation the retailer will keep currency services via online orders and click‑and‑collect and shift gift‑wrapping to tills, with changes expected to take effect in the autumn.
- John Lewis says it will seek to redeploy affected partners and support them through the process, but some employees warn the cuts could weaken the chain’s in‑store service and add pressure to shop‑floor staff.
- The proposals form part of a wider reshaping of the business following earlier job cuts and a small pre‑tax loss, even as the group continues targeted store investments that will repurpose customer‑service space.