It has been widely reported that department store John Lewis plans to build 10,000 rental homes over the next few years to help address the national housing crisis. John Lewis has said that it wants to have a strong social purpose in the future; it plans to build around 7,000 homes on sites in John Lewis' existing portfolio, with the rest on new sites. 

John Lewis' first properties will range from studio flats to houses, it said. It is understood no existing stores will be demolished to make space for the new venture.

Nina Bhatia, Executive Director of Strategy and Commercial Development at John Lewis Partnership, said: “As a business driven by social purpose, we have big ambitions for moving into property rental to address the national housing shortage and support local communities."