Bloodbath On The High Street As Big Chains Put 6,900 Jobs At Risk

Coronavirus: Carnage As Lockdown Lifts

- Mark Reynolds

High street giants John Lewis, Boots and Burger King all announced major cuts yesterday with 6,900 jobs set to go.

With tens of thousands more workers already set to be laid off elsewhere, economists warned that four million jobs could be lost in the coming months due to the coronavirus crisis.

Rolls-Royce yesterday announced 3,000 British workers had applied for redundancy.

This came seven weeks after the engine-maker said it would have to slash 9,000 jobs across its global workforce.

The gloomy news came as the Office for National Statistics warned that shopper footfall has plummeted by 50 per cent.

John Lewis said it was permanently closing eight of its stores, putting 1,300 workers at risk.

The John Lewis Partnership said the decision was made to “secure the business’s longterm future and respond to customers’ shopping needs”.

It said department stores in Birmingham and Watford will be affected, along with four At Home stores in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth, and travel sites in Heathrow and St Pancras.