YORK could be set to get a John Lewis store, as the company plans a major expansion across the country.

The retailer is in talks with a developer about a specific site on the city’s outskirts.

The firm wants to open ten “mini-stores” in cities where it has not been able to open full-sized stores. The new ones would be about half to two thirds the size of its regular branches.

In total, 3,000 extra jobs will be created as a result of the ten extra stores.

John Lewis declined to confirm or deny that it was examining a site in York, but The Press understands it has held talks with various parties about a number of sites, and is now in talks over a particular location.

The site is on the city’s outskirts, but The Press understands it is not at the new development accompanying the York Community Stadium project.

Andy Street, managing director for John Lewis, said: “There is a huge potential, and a clear demand from customers, for John Lewis to expand into more key locations in the UK.

“This new flexible approach to the size of our shops allows us to forge ahead with our growth plans to introduce John Lewis branches and our full-line assortment to cities and towns where we have long wanted to have a presence.”

Susie Cawood, head of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said the move would be a “fantastic boost for the city and an endorsement from an organisation that wants to do business here”.

She said: “It’s fantastic news. It’s very exciting. It’s a wonderful brand to have as a hook.”

But Adam Sinclair, owner of Mulberry Hall in Stonegate and chair of York Business Forum, said there was not a level playing field when it came to city-centre and out-of-town parking.

He said: “You have easy car access and free car parking outside York. Then you have an anti-car policy and expensive car parking (in the city centre) and a two-tier system which discriminates against people who are not from York.” John Lewis considers itself “under-represented” in Yorkshire, one source said, but the parent company John Lewis Partnership gained a foothold in York when its Waitrose arm opened in Foss Islands Road last year.

The scaled down stores will be about half to two-thirds the size of its normal shops, with shops averaging 65,000 to 100,000 sq ft.

John Lewis said they would offer shoppers the full range of homewares, fashion, toys and electrical goods because they would install computer terminals that could be used to order goods online.

The stores will also use television screens to broadcast catwalk shows and demonstrations of products that cannot be fitted into the store.

York Press: The Press - Comment

Great to see city on JLP shortlist

STONEGATE was recently named the most desirable retail location outside central London. Indeed, York is high on the list of all major High Street chains, with the few who aren’t here already are waiting for the right opportunity to arise.

One is the John Lewis Partnership (JLP). The company has already made a mark in the city with its flagship Waitrose store on Foss Island Road and with good reason. York is an affluent city as sales figures from the upmarket food store have confirmed.

So it comes as no surprise that John Lewis has now placed York on its wish list for a department store. The company says it considers itself ‘under represented’ in Yorkshire and the nearest store is in Sheffield.

So it makes sense to plug into the huge potential that York offers, especially with Golden Triangle money in the surrounding area just waiting for a store of this quality.

Harvey Nichols proved even to southern-sceptics that Yorkshire is a serious place to do business and while John Lewis says it is under represented, for most London based companies, the county is simply not understood.

It would seem JLP on the other hand has done its homework and we welcome their decision to shortlist York.

If it does open here, the board of directors might even surprise themselves, because this part of Yorkshire is as wealthy as the Home Counties. It’s time more southern businesses woke up to the fact.

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