What: John Lewis will stop taking online orders outside of United Kingdom

Why it is important: in a moment where online retail is soaring, a big department store player has decided to focus its business on its home market and to cater locally only.

As stores will be reopening in UK following a new month of lockdown, John Lewis & Partners has decided to close its international business and put a stop to international online orders starting 9 December. Shipping costs are too expensive for the retailer, especially with the end of the Brexit transition period profiling (on 1 January 2021) -which will higher even more the costs. International sales don’t play a major role in the company turnover, and has fallen by nearly 17% compared to last year. A John Lewis spokesman said: “As part of our Partnership Plan for the next two years, in John Lewis we have decided to focus on areas of the business that will deliver products and services for our local UK customers. As such, we are no longer pursuing international expansion.”

John lewis stops taking non-UK online orders