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| John Lewis and Boots to cut 5,300 jobs and shut shops | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Two of the UK's biggest High Street retailers, John Lewis and Boots, have announced 5,300 job cuts. | |
| Boots has said 4,000 jobs will go, while John Lewis is shutting down eight stores, putting 1,300 jobs at risk. | |
| John Lewis said it had to "secure the business's long-term future and respond to customers' shopping needs". | |
| Boots said it was consulting on plans to restructure its head office and store teams and close 48 Boots Opticians stores. | |
| John Lewis department stores in Birmingham and Watford will not reopen as the coronavirus lockdown eases. | |
| John Lewis At Home stores in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth will also shut down, as will travel sites at Heathrow airport and London St Pancras. | |
| The moves come amid warnings that new economic support plans unveiled by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Wednesday will not be enough to stop millions of workers losing their jobs. | |
| Mr Sunak announced measures including a one-off £1,000 payment to employers for every furloughed employee retained to the end of January 2021. | |
| John Lewis had warned in March it could close shops as a plunge in profits forced it to cut staff bonuses to their lowest level in almost 70 years. | John Lewis had warned in March it could close shops as a plunge in profits forced it to cut staff bonuses to their lowest level in almost 70 years. |
| It said the eight stores affected were already "financially challenged" even before the pandemic struck. | It said the eight stores affected were already "financially challenged" even before the pandemic struck. |
| However, Covid-19 had caused customers to move more quickly towards online shopping and away from stores. | However, Covid-19 had caused customers to move more quickly towards online shopping and away from stores. |
| John Lewis Partnership chairwoman Sharon White said: "Closing a shop is always incredibly difficult and today's announcement will come as very sad news to customers and partners. | John Lewis Partnership chairwoman Sharon White said: "Closing a shop is always incredibly difficult and today's announcement will come as very sad news to customers and partners. |
| "However, we believe closures are necessary to help us secure the sustainability of the partnership - and continue to meet the needs of our customers, however and wherever they want to shop." | "However, we believe closures are necessary to help us secure the sustainability of the partnership - and continue to meet the needs of our customers, however and wherever they want to shop." |
| Ms White said John Lewis would do everything it could to keep on as many people as possible. | Ms White said John Lewis would do everything it could to keep on as many people as possible. |
| The John Lewis Partnership is owned by its staff - known as partners - who usually receive a bonus each year. | The John Lewis Partnership is owned by its staff - known as partners - who usually receive a bonus each year. |
| This year, staff bonuses were set at 2%, the lowest since 1953 when it paid no bonus. | This year, staff bonuses were set at 2%, the lowest since 1953 when it paid no bonus. |
| Profits at the partnership dived by 23% last year to £123m - the third year in a row that profits have fallen - as it continued to struggle with the slowdown in consumer spending. | Profits at the partnership dived by 23% last year to £123m - the third year in a row that profits have fallen - as it continued to struggle with the slowdown in consumer spending. |
| Jobless rise | Jobless rise |
| Despite the chancellor's back-to-work bonus announced on Wednesday, millions of workers could still end up out of work, analysts and unions have warned. | Despite the chancellor's back-to-work bonus announced on Wednesday, millions of workers could still end up out of work, analysts and unions have warned. |
| Unions said job losses would "gather pace" while economists predicted "a rapid rise in unemployment". | Unions said job losses would "gather pace" while economists predicted "a rapid rise in unemployment". |
| They warned that incentives to save jobs were not large enough to persuade bosses to keep workers. | They warned that incentives to save jobs were not large enough to persuade bosses to keep workers. |
| Chancellor Rishi Sunak himself has warned of "a significant impact on unemployment and on job losses". | Chancellor Rishi Sunak himself has warned of "a significant impact on unemployment and on job losses". |
| He told BBC Breakfast: "Is unemployment going to rise, are people going to lose their jobs?' Yes, and the scale of this is significant. | He told BBC Breakfast: "Is unemployment going to rise, are people going to lose their jobs?' Yes, and the scale of this is significant. |
| "We are entering one of the most severe recessions this country has ever seen. That is of course going to have a significant impact on unemployment and on job losses." | "We are entering one of the most severe recessions this country has ever seen. That is of course going to have a significant impact on unemployment and on job losses." |
| He also told the BBC he was "sorry" for not helping "everyone in exactly the way they would have wanted", adding he would not be able to protect "every single job". | He also told the BBC he was "sorry" for not helping "everyone in exactly the way they would have wanted", adding he would not be able to protect "every single job". |
| John Lewis is the latest in a long line of companies to have made cuts during the pandemic. Other lay-offs announced include: | John Lewis is the latest in a long line of companies to have made cuts during the pandemic. Other lay-offs announced include: |
| Do you work in any of the John Lewis stores which are due to close? How will you be affected? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Do you work in any of the John Lewis stores which are due to close? How will you be affected? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. |
| Or use the form below: | Or use the form below: |