// John Lewis halts international expansion plans
// It will no longer accept orders for international delivery from December 9
// John Lewis first started selling abroad online about 10 years ago
John Lewis has decided to halt its international expansion strategy, with online orders abroad coming to an end from next week.
The department store said it would no longer accept orders for international delivery from December 9 – just weeks before an expected surge in international orders for Christmas.
According to The Times, John Lewis is understood to have decided that its international business was too costly.
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The decision has also reportedly angered some senior executives within the retailer.
John Lewis first started selling abroad online about 10 years ago, and in 2016 it stepped up its global strategy on the back of international online sales skyrocketing 50 per cent.
The department store currently delivers to 30 international markets, opened five concessions within Australian department store chain Myer and a store within Heathrow Airport to help with its brand awareness among tourists.
However, the Heathrow store was one of eight John Lewis stores that did not reopen after the first lockdown and closed down permanently.
In addition, last year John Lewis’ international sales dropped 16.9 per cent to £10.6 million, and its operating profits fell 10.3 per cent to £2.1 million.
“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,” a John Lewis spokesman said.
“As such, we are no longer pursuing international expansion and so from the 9th December we have decided to cease our online international delivery service.”
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