John Lewis Partnership has reportedly called on the government to provide clarity on whether stores will be able to reopen in early December.
All non-essential shops are currently closed as part of Government restrictions after England entered a second national lockdown on Thursday (5 November).
The retailer’s group operations director told Mail on Sunday that stores would need to “swing into gear” to deal with Christmas demand.
Andrew Murphy said he was confident John Lewis would satisfy all of its deliveries and that it was “well positioned” to meet demand. Mr Murphy revealed he has already deployed thousands of John Lewis staff into Waitrose stores and its online business since shops closed last week.
But, he said the retailer needs to know whether to line up temporary Christmas staff for its stores or to channel resources into its online warehouses and parcels networks should shops remain closed.
Mr Murphy said he was not pressuring Government to open shops, but explained that a clear statement over strategy would allow chains to prepare.
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