Have department stores had their day?

[1stDecember]

After BHS went, with more House of Fraser stores due to be closed down, and with Debenhams going bust, is there any future/need for department stores?

i liked them you could go in and look at a variety of brands and buy in the one place
the downside is a lot of these stores disappearing means i prob wont buy as many new brands than i did as there may be no where to look at them before buying unless i travel

I think with the astronomical cost involved in renting and staffing these large buildings, combined with the threat of online shopping, it is likely they will die.

Many shoppers are currently experiencing economic hardship and uncertainty, therefore it's hard to resist the savings and efficiency that the likes of Amazon offer.

I am sad about it though.

Five years ago, there were six department stores in Leicester.
BHS closed in 2016.
House of Fraser closed in 2017.
Fenwick closed in 2018.
Debenhams closed earlier this year.
Now, just M&S & John Lewis remain. I hope both survive, but I’m not optimistic.

Maybe it's just the natural order of things? The internet has changed everything.

The problem is also business rates on shops.

The only department store I like is John Lewis. I love looking around all the departments and always make a purchase. It's got a nice atmosphere.

We have a House of Fraser but it's always empty and since it was taken over by the Sports Direct lot a bit weird and soulless.

Love John Lewis. I think that's because it knows what it is, it knows who its for.

Whereas the other ones just seem to desperately try anything they can.

The traditional town/city centre department store has been in decline for years. The examples given are all where parts of the store were rented (concession) to other companies, for many years. I think it dates back to when out of town or large new shopping centres (or malls as they are called in the US) came along.

All retail will move online. A few shops will remain for browsing and viewing / trying on but the bulk of sales will be online.

In the first 6 months of the year Online retail grew as much as it had in the last 10 years and overtook the predicted growth for the next 5.

I suspect that one or 2 department store brands will survive. The curation of the offer and quality assurance of John Lewis will always give an edge Vs Amazon.

The trick will be to do this while staying price & service competitive.