To think Debenhams and WHSmith are the worst shops on the High St

[Shekinah1]

Read an article this week saying that the owner of JD is negotiating to buy the chain.

The article is paywalled (FT) but it’s speculates whether this is an attempt to revitalise or slim down the group or move it to an online store.
However I’m shocked that it has been able to keep going as a business.

Beyond the Standard department store makeup section it has nothing worthwhile to buy. The brands are usually dated and unfashionable. The shoe section is chaotic.

The bra section is ok but not as good as M&S and other places and then there is just the weird sweet stuff that seems to be randomly doted around the store. The cafe section always seems a bit dead of life. It’s sad because these stores have potential but it just seems like whoever has run Debenhams is stuck in 1991.

WHSmith is overpriced on stationary. It has morphed into this shop that excels in nothing. It’s book section is not as good as Waterstones with less range, it’s food and drinks (meal deal) is overpriced and not as good as the supermarkets and boots for that matter. The only thing it seems to excel in is huge bars of Galaxy and huge 1l bottles of water.

I’m sad staff in these chains might lose their jobs but really what are these two shops offering to the High st?

People keep saying the High St is dead but I disagree I think that once shops like these either reform and improve or disappear it will become a lot better.

I love Debenhams. Ours shut down at the first lockdown and i was gutted. It was the only shop in town I ever bought clothes from. Although it had gone a bit downhill over the last year or so.

Our Debenhams shut down before covid and I loved it 🙈 especially the kids section. It’s now a harrods store 😂which I can not afford haha

YANBU.

WHSmith no longer has any USP, and it drives me crazy with its offers which are confusing rather than just decent quality prices.

Debenhams used to be my 'go to' store in the early 90s. I used them last year for a 'personal shopper' service for my DDs to find a dress each for a wedding, but otherwise haven't bought anything much from them for over a decade.

Agree with your comments about Debenhams and also that WH Smith is ridiculously overpriced for its stationery. However, our local Smiths has merged with a Post Office so that makes it more useful and also they seem to have a monopoly on trade in my nearest big train station (Cardiff). Maybe that's how they have survived so long by diversifying.

I haven’t bought anything from Debenhams that wasn’t make up for years. I used to work for WHSmith when I was at college/uni and it’s unrecognisable to how it used to be.

Pretty sure I read ages ago that WH Smiths make most of their profits from airport, train station and hospital shops. (captive audiences)

The shop has no USP / indentity. Everything it does / sells is done better and sold cheaper elsewhere.

WHSmith’s travel branches and now the post office prop up the business.

I am also amazed that Debenhams is still going, though relieved for it's remaining staff. It has been in administration more than once and has closed a few stores, I believe.

So far it seems to have kept the dreadful Mike Ashley at bay though.

Debenhams isn't really to my taste, as I am much more of an M & S person really. M & S actually sell clothes that fit me. I also like their food hall and sometimes their cafés.

Debenhams is a cluster of a lot of different designers and none suitable for me. No food hall.

W H Smith seems far too diverse for my liking. It used to be a good bookshop years ago if I remember rightly. Now it sells so much other stuff that you could call it a jack of all trades and master of none. I really prefer Waterstones and can browse for ages in one of their shops.

Agree about Smith's, it's so sad. They used to have quality ranges of arts materials, pens, books, stationery, school stuff. They had a chance when Staples went under but didn't grab it.

Instead they sell a good range of magazines and second rate chocolate.

I haven't been in either shop for at least five years. I'm surprised Debenhams still exists as the customer service is awful and they seem to have a permanent sale.

Apparently WHSmith make all their money from their shops in stations and airports, so maybe the pandemic will finish them for good. Sad for the staff, but inevitable imo. They haven't moved with the times - they're like an awful 90's throwback.

Love Debenhams, rarely shop at WHSmiths but I am happy it is there when I do.

Hmm. As a Plus sizer, Debenhams is my go to for bog standard nice clothes for work. Aside from that, I wouldn’t shop there. WH Smith is an over priced hell hole with literally no redeeming features.

WHSmiths is a

• book shop
• stationery shop
• card shop
• toy shop
• sweet shop
• sandwich shop

If it just stopped at the first 3 (or even 2) and did them decently it would probably do a lot better.

In the late 90's debenhams was my favourite department store. Work clothes, going out clothes, homeware, bras all from debenhams.
Now the only thing I buy is shampoo from an aveda concession.

I buy stuff in Debenhams fairly regularly. I love their kids stuff - it's so bright and colourful and pretty cheap.
The cafe in our local Debenhams is great too - really spacious and the staff are lovely and will always carry your tray to your table when you've got a buggy. I'll be sad if they close.

I really like the way they try to sell you a massive bar of chocolate for a bargain price

WHSmiths make all their money from their travel format stores, no idea how they are still trading.
Debenhams is just a mash up of brands, nothing special to attract me in there.

I’m sad as I love Debenhams. WH Smith nope - way too pricey.

High Street WHS stores only survive for 2 reasons.

Firstly, they're usually the "last man standing" newsagent in town centres, so they have the market for newspapers and magazines - particularly the lesser popular titles that the supermarkets don't stock.

Secondly, they own a lot of their stores, rather than renting them, so they don't have to pay exorbitant rent.

Aside from that, they are also pretty active in closing stores that under-perform at a steady rate year by year. They havn't fallen into the trap of other retail chains by trying to keep stores open and then having to have a big closure regime. When a store's sales/profits fall below their criteria, and especially if they think they can sell/rent the property to someone else, they aren't afraid to close it down.

The other thing that often makes me avoid WH Smith is their attempts to flog you chocolate at if you are using a manned till.

I might have gone in to buy a book, a magazine or a newspaper, not Terry's Chocolate Oranges on a BOGOF deal.

@Ilikewinter

WHSmiths make all their money from their travel format stores, no idea how they are still trading. Debenhams is just a mash up of brands, nothing special to attract me in there.

The High street store chain makes a profit, in fact a similar profit per retail store to the travel stores.

www.whsmithplc.co.uk/sites/whsmith-corp/files/Press%20Releases%20and%20Reports/WH%20Smith%20Annual%20Report%202019.pdf

I quite like Debenhams, it's really struggling so it would be a shame to see it go if it does, it's worth supporting if possible, it used to have a great childrens clothing range.

I like to browse through magazines though before deciding which to buy..where else can you do that these days ? I mean a light browse..I’m not one of those cheeky fuckers who practically read the whole thing.

I think the state of Debenhams is sad. Last time I went in there it looked like it had been ransacked - Smiths though is massively overpriced - suprised anyone shops there

WHSmiths has to be one of the worst shops on the high street, their shops are often tired and drab. I feel that way about Boots sometimes too