Sharon White proves again need to be radical with John Lewis closures | Nils Pratley

Decision to close Birmingham store and others is right if there’s chance of 60%-70% of sales will be onlineDepartment stores have been in decline for years; the rise of online retailing is relentless; and the pandemic is accelerating shopping trends. Even so, John Lewis’s plan to close a supposedly flagship store in the centre of Birmingham – opened as recently as 2015 – was a shocker on another bleak day for retailing jobs. If the UK’s best operator of department s