A petition calling for the John Lewis Aberdeen store to be saved is quickly gaining support.
The department store retailer told staff on Wednesday morning that eight of its stores will not reopen after lockdown measures lift, as it undergoes a major shift in strategy to adapt to changing shopping habits.
The Aberdeen store is the only John Lewis north of the Border that will remain closed, while Edinburgh and Glasgow will reopen on May 14 and April 26 respectively.
The other shops set to close comprise four At Home stores in Ashford, Basingstoke, Chester and Tunbridge Wells and three department stores in Peterborough, Sheffield and York.
READ MORE: John Lewis to permanently shut eight more stores with 1,465 jobs at risk
Now, a petition has been launched for the city to retain its John Lewis store - saying the closure came as a "huge shock and disappointment."
So far it has gained over 11,000 signatures in under 24 hours.
Meanwhile, North East Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald has called on John Lewis to urgently reconsider their decision.
He said: “This is a devastating decision for Aberdeen city centre, and for over 200 workers based at the George Street store.
“John Lewis seem to be basing their closure plans on how things looked a year ago, when the downturn in the oil and gas industry hit the Aberdeen economy at the same time as the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The long-awaited North Sea transition deal announced this morning points to a brighter future for the energy sector in Aberdeen, and this proposal by John Lewis to close their Aberdeen store does not reflect the city’s economic outlook in 2021.
“This proposal will be devastating for workers who were looking forward to returning to work after the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, and it is also bad news for shoppers in Aberdeen and beyond."
He went on: “John Lewis has been an integral part of the city centre for decades, and an anchor business for the George Street area. Its closure would be a huge blow to regeneration plans for the city centre.
“I am contacting senior national management of the John Lewis Partnership urgently to press them to reconsider their damaging proposal to close their Aberdeen store.”
Making comment on the proposed store closure Adrian Watson, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Inspired, added:
"This is devastating news for the city given the nearest John Lewis store will now be more than 100 miles away.
"John Lewis is an iconic, trusted and respected retail brand which employs 265 local people, its loss will be felt widely by both staff and the people of the north east.
"Aberdeen Inspired are talking with partners to see if there is anything we can do to persuade John Lewis to reconsider this closure and save the Aberdeen store."
You can find the petition here.
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