The John Lewis store at the Mannington Retail Park will definitely not reopen, says the company. 

The firm confirmed the unit is one of the four At Home stores it plans to shut. The others are in Croydon, Newbury and Tamworth.

But the John Lewis Outlet store at the Swindon Designer Outlet will reopen on July 30. 

It is thought 1,300 jobs will go as a result of the four At Home closures, together with those of the two travel hub shops in Heathrow and St Pancras and full-size department stores in Birmingham and Watford.

In an email seen by the Adver, the retailer confirmed the store won't reopen following group consultations with employees at the store, and the other seven set to close across the country.

The email said: "These shops were already financially challenged prior to the pandemic and a number of contributing factors, including the shift towards online shopping which Covid-19 has accelerated, meant these shops would not be commercially viable in the future."

It added that every effort will be made to "find new roles, where possible, for Partners who wish to remain within the Partnership."

And a retaining fund will help £3,000 be contributed towards a recognised qualification or course for up to two years for any employee with two years’ service or more.

The company will also provide a three-month support programme with an outplacement specialist to help with CV writing and interview skills.

The email added: "In addition to statutory redundancy payments, Partners who have worked with the business for more than a year will be entitled to Partnership redundancy pay, which equates to two weeks’ pay for every year of service, regardless of age.

"Those with less than one year’s service who leave on grounds of redundancy will receive an ex-gratia tax-free payment equivalent to one week’s contractual pay."