Department store John Lewis has decided to temporarily close all of its stores across the country amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The brand has a branch at the Westgate Centre in Oxford which will close from Monday.

It is the first time in the 155-year history of the business that it will not open its shop doors for customers.

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Chairman Sharon White said: "The welfare of our customers, communities and partners is always our absolute priority.

"While it is with a heavy heart that we temporarily close our John Lewis shops, our partners will, where possible, be taking on important roles in supporting their fellow partners, providing critical services in Waitrose shops and ensuring our customers can get what they need through johnlewis.com, which is seeing extremely strong demand.

"The partnership has traded for over 155 years, during which time we have faced many difficult periods, including two world wars and the 2008 financial crisis.

"On every occasion, thanks to our customers and partners, and the long standing relationships with our suppliers and stakeholders, we have emerged stronger. We all need to continue to support each other and our strength and resilience will be tested. But they will not be broken."