The majority of Watford Observer readers believe a new department store should replace John Lewis in intu Watford.

Over the past few days readers have been casting their votes as to what they think should replace John Lewis, after it was confirmed the department store in the town would not reopen following the lockdown.

John Lewis said the decision was made to close the Watford branch along with seven others to “secure the business’s long-term future and respond to customers’ shopping needs”.

The Watford Observer published a poll at the end of last week, giving readers five choices to choose from as a replacement for John Lewis in the town.

This included a new department store, a home furnishing store, a fun zone/play centre, a number of smaller shops and houses or flats.

A total of 1,419 readers voted in the poll, with 36 per cent casting their vote to replacing John Lewis with a brand new department store - the most popular of all the choices.

Watford Observer:

The second most voted option was for a new home furnishing store (such as Ikea) which received 34 per cent of the vote.

However, it seemed less people were keen on a number of smaller shops replacing John Lewis, with just 14 per cent of readers opting to vote for it.

And the building of new houses or flats only received 9 per cent of the vote, while the play centre/fun zone received the least amount of votes.

Readers also commented what they think should replace John Lewis, with some people calling for open green space to take its place or a garden centre.

One reader said they would like to see an Amazon warehouse built, while another thought the Hamleys toy store could go in John Lewis' place.

A digital art museum was also called for by one reader, with another saying that The Range should move there.

The general manager of intu Watford Vicki Costello said she was "disappointeded" to here that John Lewis was closing in the town, but is “confident” that something will be able to replace the store.

She said: "The John Lewis store is a prime spot within a popular centre, and we are confident that we will find an alternative use for this space, providing something new and exciting for our visitors to enjoy."