Debenhams closing

[Hellin301]

I thought there would be a new buyer. Can’t believe 12,000 people will lose their jobs!

Debenhams had prime spot on Oxford St but always felt tired. It didn’t offer enough for a shopper.

It has been around for a long time though and been through bad patches, just not delivering what it has to now unfortunately

Even before covid19 restrictions, our Debenhams was not a nice place to shop. Even the cosmetics concessions looked a bit tatty and were understaffed, and as for the clothing upstairs; always rails and rails of sale tat, hidden changing rooms and the constant harrassment at the tills to take out their credit card. I can't remember the last time I bought anything in there, but there again, I have never been a recreational shopper anyway, preferring to target shop for one item, get it and go home. I hate browsing around the shops.

@guesswhosbac

I worked part time in Debenhams a couple of years back and with the loyalty card thing we literally HAD to ask you, were were told exactly how to ask and how to push it and if the manager was around and heard you serving someone without you asking them then you would be bollocked. And yes there were targets to be met, do you honestly think people WANT to hassle you? No, they just want to keep their jobs.

Obviously the blame is going on management, not the retail staff on the floor!

I feel so sorry for the staff but I'm not shocked. Department stores like that are on the way out.

My local Debenhams was lovely, I am genuinely really upset to see this news today. It is obviously the tip of the iceberg of what is to come. It reminds of the last recession when you dreaded turning the news on to see what companies would be next to go. My heart goes out to everyone losing their job.

Bloody covid

@FredtheFerret

Good.

They took my money in March for a gift card my child saved hard for when I ordered good online. They didn't send the goods. They ignored repeated attempts to call customer service - just shut it down with no one manning phones or emails.

They ignored me reporting them to Trading Standards. They refused to sign for the registered letter I sent to their Head Office and Customer Service dept. I have still had no communication whatsoever from them, despite all my attempts to call. They just stole my child's money basically.

They are thieving arseholes and I couldn't care less. Karma.

Thanks for that, I'm really looking forward to trying to find employment now in the current market.

Hope you have an absolutely delightful rest of the day.

I really liked Debenhams. Didn’t have any problems with their online offering during lockdown, either. Glad I bought some things from there for Christmas. I shall look on them sadly and fondly, together with my 14 year old plastic Woolworths Christmas tree.

The future of retail is Amazon style “fulfilment centres” staffed by robots. That seems to be what people want. Everyone wanted lockdown right? Enjoy the end of the high street, pubs, cafes etc,

While I never shopped in there so I wont miss it I do feel for all these staff losing their jobs.
But debenhams didnt seem to do anything to draw people in. To me it came across as they were just trading on their name rather than trying to improve the brand.

Who was Debenhams target market?

I can't figure out who it was pitching itself at. It just was confused, tired and not very nice.

A lot of their stores were desparate for a make over. If you went into the one in Manchester City Centre it was dreadful. It felt claustrophobic, dingy and poorly laid out. You could never find anything.

The concession stands were awful. The brands they had in - Arcardia brands mainly - weren't on trend, they weren't terribly fashionable and seemed to be existing off long dead reputations from 20+ years ago.

So it can't have been aimed at young people. Maybe their parents who drag their kids around there. But even people in their 40s and 50s with any style wouldn't want to buy very much there.

And the experience. God it was fucking awful. Trying to desparately get people to sign up for a loyalty scheme is not what customers want.

Everything about it was awful. Awful shopping environment, awful clothes and awful customer service.

If you can't get people to say something positive or nice about your stores in the age range you'd expect them to be making most sales, you are dead already.

Its only a matter of time before it was going to bomb. I don't think covid has accelarated the process by much. It had already been in administration. Mainly having Acardia as your concessions was a fatal mistake as they have been headed in the same direction too for a while.

I do want to try on clothes but I have to be able to find clothes that are nice, I want to try on and it doesn't feel horrible in the space I'm doing it. Otherwise whats the fucking point? I may as well buy online.

I used to like Debenhams and went regularly about 5+ years ago. I've totally switched over to John Lewis since then though. Much more pleasant shopping experience and I like their own brand stuff. Such a shame for the staff and suppliers though.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

It’s appalling that these jobs have gone.

But what is more appallling is these stores were never updated or had a bigger online presence. I mean Dorothy Perkins? How is that a modern store can trade with a name like Dorothy? I never really saw any difference between DP and Wallis. Just seas of plastic clothing. Who were their target market?

They could all have followed the Next same day delivery mode, or the basics market now cornered by Uniqlo. But they didn’t. They carried in trading as if it was 20 years ago.

Whilst all the newcomers came and stole the market from under them. Boohoo, PLT, ASOS for online. Monki, Cos, Arket bit better fabrics/ethics/ style. Zara has replaced Top Shoo as cutting edge. But Too Shop is a powerful brand, and could rise again.

Dorothy Perkins is where I get most of my clothes from. It is there one shop where I am consistently the same size. Dorothy Perkins jeans/jeggings consistently fit me well. I struggle everywhere else. And their tops and dresses fit me well too. So it must be different from other shops. You might not notice it but I do

I feel doubly sorry for the staff in the coming weeks as I imagine they will have the mother of all sales and bring out all the old rubbish everything to the shop floor to get rid, plus people wanting last minute refunds for stuff they bought (but couldnt try on) and want to return before they shut their doors for good.im sure it will be carnage.
The last time I went to Debenhams I bought 3 pairs of jeans (2 were from DP as I am not particularly fashion conscious and their petite range fits me quite well) They had shut all the tills bar one (because covid) which meant huge queues and everyone having to use the same til for buying/returning. It didn't help with social distancing or spreading people out.

@Fizbosshoes same, I need petite too
I know it's bad for all the people who will lose jobs but I don't know what I'll do if Dorothy Perkins goes

I loved our Debenhams, got to know the people on the makeup counters (I took flowers for them when one lovely staff member passed away suddenly) the lady in the hat department that had a whole room for her hats to wear to synagogue (she taught me the correct way to wear a large brimmed hat for ladies day at ascot) the lovely girls in the la senza department.
Gradually it got run down, the sections I liked were made smaller and I no longer recognised the staff. The quirkier clothes were ditched. I just lost interest, every time I've been in there recently I've come away empty handed.
It was always just a matter of time.

Good.

They took my money in March for a gift card my child saved hard for when I ordered good online. They didn't send the goods. They ignored repeated attempts to call customer service - just shut it down with no one manning phones or emails.

They ignored me reporting them to Trading Standards. They refused to sign for the registered letter I sent to their Head Office and Customer Service dept. I have still had no communication whatsoever from them, despite all my attempts to call. They just stole my child's money basically.

They are thieving arseholes and I couldn't care less. Karen.

Corrected that for you!

@FredtheFerret

Good.

They took my money in March for a gift card my child saved hard for when I ordered good online. They didn't send the goods. They ignored repeated attempts to call customer service - just shut it down with no one manning phones or emails.

They ignored me reporting them to Trading Standards. They refused to sign for the registered letter I sent to their Head Office and Customer Service dept. I have still had no communication whatsoever from them, despite all my attempts to call. They just stole my child's money basically.

They are thieving arseholes and I couldn't care less. Karma.

I understand your anger, but being gleeful about so many job losses is awful behaviour.

What happened to you was very bad form, of course it was, but it is probably a symptom of the general problems faced by Debenhams as much as anything else. Difficulty meeting staff wages bills leads to understaffing etc.

It has been in administration for much of this year. Did you try lodging a claim with the administrator to see if you can get some of your child's money back?

Being pleased that 12,000 people are losing their jobs though is nasty.

I mean Dorothy Perkins? How is that a modern store can trade with a name like Dorothy

I don't know if I'm being really stupid or naive or something but what's wrong with the name Dorothy?

@manicinsomniac

I mean Dorothy Perkins? How is that a modern store can trade with a name like Dorothy

I don't know if I'm being really stupid or naive or something but what's wrong with the name Dorothy?

It's just seen a massive decline in popularity, I guess. When the brand Dorothy Perkins was founded in the 1910s, 'Dorothy' was in the top 5 most popular girls' names in the UK. It was presumably chosen because it suggested a relevant and contemporary brand. That's clearly no longer the case.

I’m so sad about this and the state of the high street in general. I think we will all look back and crave a department store again one day.
Yes it’s easy to blame the internet but Look at Zara- Zara’s online offering is shit, in fact they purposely keep it like that to keep their shops busy. It’s not impossible but takes more effort than these shops were given.

Old fashioned names are popular with new parents now, I reckon if Dorothy isn't on the up now it soon will be tbh.

I'm only in my twenties but grew up shopping in Debenhams with my parents. As a teen I would get money for Xmas for relatives then go to Debenhams on boxing Day to spend most of it on clothes in the sales. Really sad news but not unexpected. I visited our city's Debenhams probably every few months or so, more around Xmas season and did an online shop a few times a year as well. It really will be missed for me. I buy a lot of my clothes and underwear there in their outlet/sales sections, and I also buy beauty and gifts. I always found it helpful being able to buy all of that stuff in one place either in store or online rather than having to place 5 different orders or visit 5 different shops.

Real shame, I quite liked it and remembered it being Sopers locally when I was a child

I walk past the Redditch and Birmingham branch quite often and their stores are dated and very uninviting especially the Redditch branch. They don't have an emphasis on creating a good customer experience either, compared to let's say John Lewis, imo. The Birmingham branch, I only use as a walkway to get from Grand Central into the Bullring and I believe that was the case for many people. I can't remember the last time I bought anything from there and they seem to constantly have a sale on when it used to be twice a year. I for one am not surprised by this news. I just feel sorry for the staff affected by this news and hope they can find jobs quickly.

Debenhams has been a sinking ship for many years and the pandemic was the final nail in the coffin for them. I feel like department stores are dying generally and will only survive in out-of-town retail parks - as someone else has pointed out. M&S has started to do this, they have a massive branch in Longbridge (a district of Birmingham) and whenever I visit - the car park is always busy and you'd often struggle to find a parking space as it's free parking for 4 hours and the store is busy. I will go for a browse, pick up a few items and then go for some lunch and don't have to worry about topping up the meter. Unfortunately more stores will have the same fate as Debenhams if they don't adapt to current trends.

The name Dorothy if of it’s time. It may be in fashion again, but it spent a long time being dated. It’s like calling a shop Beverley or Margaret. They may come round again, but it needed to update its name.

I was a designer in the 80’s. We used to supply Dotty P’s as we called it. But the proper name we just used to laugh at.

I'm not convinced people stopped going to Dorothy Perkins because of the name...