Hundreds of jobs at risk as John Lewis announces closure of in-store services

John Lewis has put 200 jobs at risk as it plans to shut down desks operating gift wrapping and foreign exchange services.

The 36-strong department store chain said it had begun a consultation on redundancies as it plans to close the desks that operate bureau de change services in 30 stores, and specialist gift wrapping in 25 stores.

No final decision has been taken on the closures, but if confirmed they will take place this autumn.

John Lewis has long had a reputation for strong customer service on the high street, and this week came second behind the building society Nationwide in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, published by the Institute of Customer Service.

One member of staff told the Guardian: “They are removing the area of the shop that John Lewis claims they stand for.”

They said they were handling queries “on a daily basis” after John Lewis’s call centre was not able to provide customers with the help required.

Shop floor workers who will take on the extra work of handling queries and offering gift wrapping at tills are “already overworked, overwhelmed with responsibilities and short staffed”, according to the staff member.

A spokesperson for John Lewis rejected the criticism, saying its independently measured customer satisfaction and loyalty scores had all improved year on year, as had its staff satisfaction levels.

“You will see from today’s UK Customer Service Institute scores – that John Lewis score moved from third to second overall – and we remain the top retailer in the UK.”

If the plans are confirmed, John Lewis customers will be able to order currency online and arrange home delivery or pick up items in stores.

The spokesperson added: “Our customers are increasingly buying the broad range of currencies we offer online, and enjoying the convenience of having this delivered directly to their home or collecting it at one of our shops.

“As we focus on modernising this proposition to meet our customers’ changing needs, we’re proposing to close our in-store foreign exchange bureaux as well as our gift wrapping service.

“As a result, we’re regretfully consulting with partners who currently deliver these services.

“This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly, and we will support impacted partners throughout the consultation process and support redeployment where possible.”

It is understood the customer service desk areas will be repurposed for other uses, and John Lewis said the vast majority of queries were already handled by shop floor assistants, who would continue doing so if the proposed closures went ahead.

In March the John Lewis Partnership, which runs Waitrose supermarkets as well as the department store chain, said it would continue to seek ways of operating more efficiently this year, including through more use of electronic shelf labels and AI, but it would not comment on whether more jobs could go.

Last year the parent group cut 3,300 jobs, taking its total down to 65,700. About 1,500 of those roles were cut from John Lewis department stores.

The company – which has closed stores, cut jobs and ditched plans to build and rent out homes above its stores in order to trim costs – paid an annual bonus to workers in March for the first time in four years after underlying profits rose by 6%. Each worker, including the chair, received a bonus equivalent to 2% of salary.