What: John Lewis is proposing to shut its physical travel money desks and gift-wrapping areas as customer demand shifts toward online and card-based services.

Why it is important: The proposal shows how shifting customer behaviour is forcing legacy retailers to reassess store space, staffing, and service delivery models.

John Lewis is consulting on plans to close all of its in-store Bureau de Change desks, putting around 200 roles at risk. The retailer said demand for foreign currency services in stores has declined sharply as customers increasingly order travel money online, choose home delivery or click-and-collect, or use payment cards while abroad.The proposal would affect 125 full-time employees, alongside part-time workers, across its department store estate. John Lewis said it would seek to redeploy affected staff where possible. The retailer also plans to close gift-wrapping areas in stores, another service it said has seen reduced customer use.Travel money would remain available through John Lewis online, with customers still able to collect orders from branches. The changes reflect a broader shift in department store retailing, where underused transactional services are being removed as retailers adapt space, staffing, and operations to evolving customer behaviour. For John Lewis, the move is part of a wider effort to modernise stores while focusing resources on services and experiences that remain relevant to shoppers.

IADS Notes: John Lewis’s proposal to close its in-store Bureau de Change desks aligns with a broader transformation programme that has been documented across notionnews over the past year. In August 2025, Retail Week underlined that the department store model remains relevant when it focuses on strong operations, service, and engaging physical environments, which helps explain why John Lewis is prioritising more distinctive in-store experiences over underused transactional services. In September 2025, Retail Week reported that John Lewis was maintaining transformation momentum through investment in digital infrastructure, operational efficiency, and customer experience despite financial pressure. This continued into April 2026, when the Financial Times highlighted the growing complexity of click-and-collect within modern omnichannel retail, and May 2026, when Drapers covered John Lewis’s shift toward automation-led fulfilment. By June 2026, a Press Release detailed a further £50m store transformation drive, reinforcing the retailer’s strategy of modernising physical retail while moving more functional services online.

John Lewis puts 200 jobs at risk with bureau de change closures