Around 200 jobs are at risk at John Lewis as the retailer prepares to close its in-store foreign exchange desks and dedicated gift wrapping areas, a signal of how quickly digital payments are hollowing out once-dependable high street services.
The employee-owned retailer is consulting on the plans, and no final decision has been made. If approved, the redundancies would take effect in the autumn.
The bureau de change closures will affect 30 shops, while dedicated gift wrapping areas will go in 25. Gift wrapping will not vanish entirely: the service will move to the tills, a change John Lewis says will make it more accessible.
The retailer said demand for in-store currency exchange had fallen as customers increasingly order foreign currency online and collect it in store, while others skip cash altogether and rely on credit cards or digital payments when abroad.
“As we focus on modernising this proposition to meet our customers’ changing needs, we’re proposing to close our in-store foreign exchange bureaus as well as our gift wrapping service,” a spokesperson said.
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