The people of Aberdeen are ‘fully behind’ the bid to keep John Lewis in the city, the taskforce set up to save it says.
The taskforce set up to convince John Lewis to remain in Aberdeen wrote to party leaders asking them to support the campaign.
Council administration leaders Douglas Lumsden, Jenny Laing and Marie Boulton – along with Adrian Watson and Russell Borthwick, the chief executives of Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce – are campaigning to keep the retailer in the city.
In a joint letter, the members of the taskforce said: “The citizens of Aberdeen and the wider region have demonstrated their support behind our moves to attempt to protect what is the last remaining department store in the North of Scotland.
“The citizens of Aberdeen are fully behind us, given that over 25,000 have already signed a petition asking John Lewis to stay, and our regional newspapers the Press and Journal and Evening Express, responding to the views of their readers, are united in their support for this treasured retailer to remain in Aberdeen and the ‘bricks and mortar’ retail experience a department store provides.
“We believe that your willingness to support John Lewis in the short to medium term could be the game-changer that allows the store to remain open thus saving 265 jobs.
“We are certainly willing to play our part and that is why at the budget meeting in March the council agreed by majority to commit a further £150m of capital investment for phase two of our City Centre Masterplan.
“The need to save Aberdeen’s John Lewis department store and the associated employment and economic benefits of this presence is now and therefore we would be grateful if you could give this matter your immediate attention.”
