Debenhams closing lots of stores

[StealthPolarBear]

Including the one near us. How awful :(

ineedabodytransplant cheesenpickles
I remember when that one was Handleys and it was the 'posh' shopping area along with Knight and Lee.
Latest rumour is the council turning the building into a Sherlock Holmes Experience

It just seems to be coffee shops and homeless people now. The library is working well though.

They're closing our one and the local Facebook page is full of people moaning about it and how it's a loss to our high street... Yet its always empty!

It's never busy anymore, even at Christmas. It's a shame but it's another store that has failed to move with the times. Lots outdated looks and the goods cost far too much for what they are.

The closure of the one which has only been open 18 months in a lot of ways makes sense - assuming most of the employees have been there for 18 months or less (I know some will have transferred from elsewhere) then it will save on redundancy payments and the likes!

My first saturday job was in Debenhams. The one in my home town had a hairdresser and a bridal shop in the 80s/90s. Its not closing but it seems a bit dated. The one nearest to whete i live now is closing and i cant say I'm that surprised, its too small for a proper dept store and is mainly womens clothes and make up. I feel sorry for shop staff though as the retail sector is in such hard times.
Am i the only person who hates buying clothes online? I rarely buy new clothes unless i have vouchers but when i do i want to try stuff on. I wonder whether part of the business model for online stores is that people will purchase, and even if it doesnt fit properly or doesn't look as expected, a certain % won't return the item whereas if you went to a shop and tried something and it didnt fit you wouldn't make the purchase in the first place.
I also wonder whether Debenhams has almost devalued itself by having literally constant sales. I cant imagine anyone buying anything full price but then you will always be waiting for the sale or for the item to be marked down. JL in contrast has fewer sales but is seen as quality products.
When i worked there, there were 30 days of the year when our dept wasn't in sale and it was like a graveyard. The rest of the time we just exchanged one colour/reduction sale ticket to another on a 4-6 week cycle.

Does this mean that at some point late 2019, early 2020 they will sell off stock? Have a sale?
😂😂😂 i hope this is a tongue in cheek question .....have you ever been in debenhams when they're not having a sale???

I buy pretty much all my clothes in Debenhams. If they closed down totally I really don't know where I'd shop. Seriously. I can always find something I like and that fits.

I live in London so I go to the Oxford St one. That's not on the list, fortunately.

I also wonder whether Debenhams has almost devalued itself by having literally constant sales. I cant imagine anyone buying anything full price but then you will always be waiting for the sale or for the item to be marked down

Absolutely this! I get emails every few days announcing 20% of women's bags and shoes/10% off beauty/30% off women's tops... As far as I'm concerned they're emailing me every week to say we overprice everything we sell by about 20% so why on earth would I ever pay full price for anything in there ?

Because I'm aware of this, even if I am physically shopping in the city centre, I bypass Debenhams. I don't see any reason to browse in there when I know I'm not prepared to pay full price for most of what they sell. I can just watch for the regular sales and order what I want online. The delivery is free if I'm spending over €30 and I'm guaranteed my size which isn't always the case in store.

Sports direct is doing well because it's a bargain basement discounter that sells masses of football kits each time clubs make a slight change

In fact I've just checked my emails for the last few days. I got one this morning with "this weeks best offers", one yesterday - 40% off Red Herring, Thursday - 15% off skincare. The one from this morning includes the Thursday and Friday reductions plus whatever % off shoes and sandals, beachwear and strapless bras. Again, they just keep telling me NOT to come in and browse their stores!

Surprised monks cross isn’t closing. Never anyone in there
Glad Sunderland is staying open.

I'm relieved to find that my local store isn't on the list. Cannot say too much cause could be outing, but I do some work for Debenhams.

@Howyoualldoworkme lol. Like that will happen. More food spots I say!

cheesenpickles That wouldn't be a bad thing actually. Everything (including public transport)is geared towards Gunwharf.
A few nice restaurants, some small independent shops a la Marmion Road and it could work. Remember Sur la Mer and L'Escargot? Drew people from all over.

I used to live just round the corner from the one opposite the also closing John Lewis. I do hope there isn't too much impact on the smaller independent places in the surrounding area, we still shop and eat down there from time to time when visiting. I also remember L'Escargot and its vast array of puddings, it was the place for a group meal out when I lived there.

@Howyoualldoworkme I don't know really. There's that new place opening in what was the Belle Isle and lots of really cool little spots. Don't forget restaurant 27. I hope Southsea can survive it. Gunwharf is ok but it's heavy on the chains.