Debenhams closing

[Hellin301]

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

Just can’t be arsed with faffing around trying on.

I can't be arsed going backwards and forwards to the post office returning stuff all the time. I'm not a standard size and I don't want to spend £££ on three sizes of something and then wait around for a refund.

@Ginfordinner

Just can’t be arsed with faffing around trying on.

I can't be arsed going backwards and forwards to the post office returning stuff all the time. I'm not a standard size and I don't want to spend £££ on three sizes of something and then wait around for a refund.

Yes

I never shop online for clothes

I think you misunderstood me. I spend less if I shop online.

I thought we were saying the same ...I was saying it was interesting as I'd not thought about the direct comparison but I do spend less online

If we have Lockdown 3.0 it will be New Look next.

Ah, yes @Fizbosshoes, I must have misunderstood you.

Don’t you dare take my New Look Mercy! Where else is left for a 36 year old teenage girl to shop in these times?!

Some of the stores are huge, a big blow to some of the big retail centres like the Bull Ring in Birmingham and Bluewater in Kent.

I have always liked Debenhams. They had fantastic sales. I don’t shop there more than a couple of times a year (I’m just not a shopper!) so I guess I haven’t helped.

New look shop disappeared from our small town a few years ago. Was a big blow as it was popular. M and co are still hanging on.

Debenhams never got over being loaded down with debt in the noughties when they were owned by private equity firms. They went from having £100m debt, which was a smallish fraction of the their trade to £1.2bn which was double their trade.

They had insane payments to make and couldn’t invest in changing the business to keep up with the times. The fact they lasted so long in the circumstances, even fending off the advances of Cashley a few years ago was no mean feat.

It’s possible they might have managed to adapt better snd survive if they hadn’t been hobbled by that.

Anyway, I hope something manages to emerge from the wreckage still.

I feel indifferent about this.

It would be sad to see them go. But as a younger adult, I am not quite sure what Debenham’s place in the high street actually is?

I only visited the beauty floor, but in many areas, there’s a competing department store a stone’s throw away so seems redundant to have the same counters in close proximity. They’re not very on trend, many of the beauty brands they stock are outdated and makes an uninspiring visit. Selfridges, although a more luxury retailer, stock a wide range of cheap brands - think Morphe, The Ordinary etc - they study the market well & endeavour to make an exciting experience unlike Debenhams.

Online, their website is shit and there’s so many competitors that just offer more. Cult beauty (and the like) have great gifts with purchase, better loyalty schemes etc.

I don't feel indifferent about the fact that 12,000 people have lost their jobs and the fact that this is yet another nail on the retail coffin

New look shop disappeared from our small town a few years ago. Was a big blow as it was popular. M and co are still hanging on.
I'm pretty sure New Look called in administrators last year, I'm amazed they've hung on (but hope they do!) and M and Co closed loads of stores earlier this year.
I might be being a bit dense here but what makes Debenhams/dorothy Perkins etc shopping experience online, different to say, next or M and S? It's not as if you cant buy stuff online?

I saw on the news last night, over 140k retail jobs have been lost this year, and is expected to be over 250k by the end of this month. That is absolutely horrific whatever any of us think about the individual stores.

@sofiaaaaaa

I feel indifferent about this.

It would be sad to see them go. But as a younger adult, I am not quite sure what Debenham’s place in the high street actually is?

I only visited the beauty floor, but in many areas, there’s a competing department store a stone’s throw away so seems redundant to have the same counters in close proximity. They’re not very on trend, many of the beauty brands they stock are outdated and makes an uninspiring visit. Selfridges, although a more luxury retailer, stock a wide range of cheap brands - think Morphe, The Ordinary etc - they study the market well & endeavour to make an exciting experience unlike Debenhams.

Online, their website is shit and there’s so many competitors that just offer more. Cult beauty (and the like) have great gifts with purchase, better loyalty schemes etc.

'Indifferent'?? Nice.

I shopped there but only occasionally, maybe one or two times a year.

The shop was dirty, uninviting and soulless so I understand why they struggled.

It's all the redundancies from the high street coming at the same time that worries me. It's terrible for the individuals but also awful for the economy overall.

I'm not surprised by this news. Debenhams were overpriced IMO.
Personally I love department stores, though more for browsing than buying. I absolutely hate buying online and will continue to shop in the high street. Sadly my pittance won't make much difference though.

I wonder if they are selling off stock in a sale now, what happens to concessions stock? Does that go back to the brand or do you think it goes into sale

According to bbc news the website is very busy!

@Ginfordinner

I don't feel indifferent about the fact that 12,000 people have lost their jobs and the fact that this is yet another nail on the retail coffin

Me neither. Not everyone wants to work in a warehouse setting , which is how it'll end up I suppose. All online. :(

@feelingverylazytoday

I'm not surprised by this news. Debenhams were overpriced IMO. Personally I love department stores, though more for browsing than buying. I absolutely hate buying online and will continue to shop in the high street. Sadly my pittance won't make much difference though.

A branch of Debenhams closed not to far from me last year. They had a fire sale as it was closing.

What got me was how many of the items that were heavily discounted were still more expensive than I could buy the same product for elsewhere. Not even at online retailers either.

It boggled my mind as to how they could possibly have existed as long as they had.

‘I don't want to spend £££ on three sizes of something and then wait around for a refund.’

Which is why l use Klarna👌🏻

@Ginfordinner

Just can’t be arsed with faffing around trying on.

I can't be arsed going backwards and forwards to the post office returning stuff all the time. I'm not a standard size and I don't want to spend £££ on three sizes of something and then wait around for a refund.

Exactly. I’m a pretty standard size 12 but because I’m only 5 foot 4 the cut, style and length of something makes some clothes suit me and others look frumpy.

I could never buy clothes online that I hadn’t tried on.

@ChloeCrocodile

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.

I love John Lewis for most other things but the clothing ranges they carry tend to, on the whole be outside my price range. Manteray, Collection & the other Debenhams own brand were my go to.

I bought a lot of Mantaray stuff and lots of ds's school coats have been from Debenhams. Our local Debenhams is in a big new at the time build but has got messy and scruffy looking inside with too much stock so it looked like a permanent sale. My wedding list was at Debenhams as was loads of my friends. This was 20 years ago and I can't imagine that being a thing now.