To feel sad Debenhams is going?

[CrotchBurn]

Don't know why but it just makes me feel nostalgic
www.bbc.com/news/business-55793411

I’m really sorry for those who will lose their jobs, I really am (I used to work dealing with insolvent companies so I know how this can pan out) but I’m not surprised that Debenhams couldn’t be made to work long term. They got taken over by private equity (so often the death knell for a decent business) who sold off the stores that Debenhams owned on a sale-and-lease-back scheme. Which was fine (ish) all the time the money kept rolling in, except that it didn’t when the financial crisis hit in 2008, and now they were locked in to high rents on long term contracts. And that’s before the owners saddled the company with debt - IIRC, Debenhams issued three profit warnings shortly after the take over.

They ran it into the ground; for the last Christ-knows how many years Debenhams has been as naff as fuck, trading on past glories and a retail runner-up even compared to House of Fraser, who’ve been on a downward spiral since Ashley got his grubby hands on them.

Depressing but not surprising.

People over 60 that I know love their store card, discounts and especially their cafe. Feel sorry for them that their place to catch up in a shopping centre is gone. Also, their bra fitting service was so great and they were so nice with my dd first bra. God knows where I’d go now.

@Howzaboutye

But where are we going to buy party dresses from? Could guarantee that they would deliver, for a black tie event. Spose it's coast these days.

This is what I mean! There are things I'd go there for Coast is not for me It's like all the shops that I go to for clothes are going I actually don't know where I'm supposed to go to get things that fit

@Howzaboutye
Boohoo bought debenhams and it also bought coast! Its buying everything..

I haven't been to a Debenhams store in decades. I'm truly sorry at the staff losses but Debenhams, like BHS just wasn't viable any more.
At least John Lewis had a basic degree of quality as well as a price pledge.

The trouble is that too many high street stores decided to plonk a branch into too many high streets.

A generation, or so, ago, big named stores would only pitch up in big towns or cities. That meant that local towns had individual shops like the proverbial' butcher, baker and candlestick maker' and they could survive. Once Marks', Debenhams, Freeman, Hardy and Willis arrived in your local town, the rents got higher and the candlestick maker had to leave town, along with the butcher and the baker.

Now many of us are left with ghost towns full of bookies, charity shops, WHSmiths, mobile phone shops and Pandora's.

I'm sad for what it means for jobs and town centres, but IMO Debenhams "went" years ago. Your nostalgic feelings demonstrate the problem, the shops hadn't changed since my youth...and I'm old. Our local one has looked like it was closing down for the last decade.

@1Morewineplease

But how come these places like mobile phone shops can afford the rent but not the baker?

But I want to try clothes on! In a shop. Luckily we have a John Lewis not far.
So sorry for all the staff losing their jobs.
A department store has just so much stock sitting around. Millions. Compared to it all in a warehouse. Shopping is changing before our very eyes.

I remember at a logistics industry do the old geezer couldn't pronounce ASOS let alone have any clue what it was or was selling. He regarded it as a daft upstart. Boy was he wrong. And as logistics and business is mostly full of old geezers I think they just all missed the same trick. See diversity can help a company in so many intangible ways.

We will end up with very few department stores.

It’s making me want to support M&S even more. I’ll buy more basics and home wares there from now on. If they went, there would be a massive hole in the high street.

Its awful for the emoylees that will lose their jobs, but as a business they are not compatible in this day and age and refused to move with the times and were very expensive.
For example, I went in to their closing down sale, looked at a curling wand my Dd wanted, advertised at £55 from £89, same item in boots for £45 and not in a sale???

Debenhams as a business failed itself.

No one will miss it

Oh fyi m&s have reversed the 'anyone can use any changing room' thing they had for a while there. Emma Nicholson had a quiet word with the chief exec. Back to male and female.
In case anyone was boycotting for this reason.

@RickiTarr

We will end up with very few department stores.

It’s making me want to support M&S even more. I’ll buy more basics and home wares there from now on. If they went, there would be a massive hole in the high street.

Sadly think m and s will be next. Have struggled for years and don't move with the times

I wonder what the stores will become now? I would have said probably Next but they already have so many large premises!

Sadly most of the closed shops in my area have remained empty years on, even the old giant BHS unit is still intact.

I feel sorry for all the staff but I’m not surprised Debenhams couldn’t survive this climate. They were a bit of a dinosaur and didn’t adapt to the changing market/consumer habits.

Not sure how I feel about boohoo aquiring them though, will certainly be an interesting change

I live in Glasgow and the Debenhams in our city centre is enormous. I can’t imagine what that shopping street will be like without it. Very sad.

I'll definitely miss Debenhams. It was the only department store on my small city, and great for having quite a lot of petite clothes. My DD liked it too, when we were kitting her out for uni.
What happens to all the franchises which don't have their own physical shops (afaik) eg Mantaray?

Boohoo bought debenhams and it also bought coast! Its buying everything.

I don't understand why they're not buying any of the stock though? Literally the brand names only? I mean take Coast for example, all those party/wedding shiny outfits spring to mind - surely if they don't want the stock and are presumably going to rebrand then you lose the loyal customers of Coast if it isn't Coast type clothes anymore if that makes an ounce of sense? I don't get it tbh

I feel really sorry for the staff losing their jobs. However, I only shopped there if they had a sale on.

It's gone downhill over the years, but I loved it as a teenager and it holds a lot of nostalgia for me.

Obviously, it's a huge shame and worry for employees.

I’ll be sad to see it go, I have nostalgic memories of wandering round my local Debenhams with DC1 on maternity leave 😔 I love their kids clothes especially Bluezoo, they just seemed nicer than the equivalents in the supermarkets so I hope Boohoo continue to stock Bluezoo.

I will miss having a browse , prefer that to shopping online , and will miss the cafe , met my Work friend there many a lunchtime and shared a plate of chips with a roll each

@ErrolTheDragon

I'll definitely miss Debenhams. It was the only department store on my small city, and great for having quite a lot of petite clothes. My DD liked it too, when we were kitting her out for uni. What happens to all the franchises which don't have their own physical shops (afaik) eg Mantaray?

Yes! They were good for petite! I've got a lovely mantaray hat from there This is what I mean we're getting less and less and it's all the shops I shop at!

Did you actually shop there?

purple me neither. Sizes aren't standard so I need to see what the item looks like before I buy it.

I don't understand why they're not buying any of the stock though? Literally the brand names only?

I should imagine they want to trade on the cachet of the names without having the inconvenience of producing decent quality products made by people paid fairly.

I wouldn’t touch a brand owned by BooHoo with someone else’s barge pole.

SCALPHELP

I wonder what the stores will become now? I would have said probably Next but they already have so many large premises!“

Housing, hopefully. Some of the old 20/30s buildings would make fantastic apartments.