FOR years John Lewis stuck to its southern heartlands, fearing a venture north might lead to corporate impecunity.

Admittedly, Harrogate has a long standing Waitrose, but the penny only dropped that it was not the only wealthy town in North Yorkshire when one was built in York.

It went down a storm and within 12 months John Lewis announced its desire to open a second Waitrose in the city.

Now the company has outlined why it wants to open a flagship department store here.

Unsurprisingly it cites reasons we all know well: York has a robust economy and it offers a great catchment area in terms of affluence.

Managing director Andy Street says his company needs a concrete reason to spend £15 million on building a new shop and calls York, along with Leeds, a winning retail location, which is why he is putting his money here.

Mr Street is right. York weathered the recession better than most cities because its economy is fundamentally sound. This vote of confidence, from such a significant retailer, serves to underline that fact.