The end of Debenhams in the high street

[Mayor West]

I work at another retailer that is regularly found on retail parks, and we regularly get the same stock you can find in debenhams, but at half the price. Debenhams brought it on themselves for being so expensive, lower prices, more customers, simple as that.

 

[oldius]

I work at another retailer that is regularly found on retail parks, and we regularly get the same stock you can find in debenhams, but at half the price. Debenhams brought it on themselves for being so expensive, lower prices, more customers, simple as that.

That is a little simplistic, in my view. The high street creates a whole other scenario to out of town retail parks where rents are lower, access is easier and parking is free. Debenhams is a victim of all of that and internet shopping. Unless town centres turn themselves into a day out, as Altrincham has done, their demise will be very soon; nobody is making a special trip to Poundworld.

 

[Blue Mist]

To be honest most of you that have posted have missed the real point. Look at who has bought the Debenhams brand. Boohoo have just been implicated in modern day slavery, not in India or China, in THIS country and yet people still buy their clothes because they are cheap.
On a side note, of the 12, 000 that have lost their jobs, how many shop online?
If you don't care where it has come from just how much it has cost don't come on here complaining.

 

[Northernstorirs]

That is a little simplistic, in my view. The high street creates a whole other scenario to out of town retail parks where rents are lower, access is easier and parking is free. Debenhams is a victim of all of that and internet shopping. Unless town centres turn themselves into a day out, as Altrincham has done, their demise will be very soon; nobody is making a special trip to Poundworld.

Correct.

Stockport is doing a good job with putting on Makers Markets and have done up the produce hall driving footfall in the centre. The Light cinema and restaurants have also spruced up part of the high street although Mersey Way remains a shit hole.

It is also all about store experience, Debenhems hasn't changed since the 90s, offers nothing to the shopping experience which is where specialists still survive.

 

[Blue Mist]

And bought by a company known to use contractors who employ on less than minimum wage.

You mean slavery.
There was a large Covid outbreak in Leicester that they traced to a clothing manafacturer, within a week another factory in the same City had a large outbreak. It was found that when the first factory was closed down they simply shifted all the workers to the other one. Conditions were appalling and they were being paid £3 an hour.
In the meantime Boohoos share price went up.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

To be honest most of you that have posted have missed the real point. Look at who has bought the Debenhams brand. Boohoo have just been implicated in modern day slavery, not in India or China, in THIS country and yet people still buy their clothes because they are cheap.
On a side note, of the 12, 000 that have lost their jobs, how many shop online?
If you don't care where it has come from just how much it has cost don't come on here complaining.

There is a lot of hypocracy around this issue. I'm as bad as anyone - always spouting about our wonderful village shops but buy all my shopping online and at the supermarket. Debenham did well to survive as long as it did as the other big department store names went under. I just feel sorry for that poor John Rocha **** that will be having to do £5 hand jobs in the bus station now, particularly as @dronefromsector7G will be undercutting him and swallowing too :-(

 

[Bill]

Work from home shop from home!

we will all end up with rickets.

a sad day for me - like a good day shopping.

it scares me to see the big names go. what chance do small shops like mine have . i'm lucky ,i own the building but despite "ticking over " i fear for the staff if i have to cut and run. been trading 40 years this year .

 

[Blue Mist]

it scares me to see the big names go. what chance do small shops like mine have . i'm lucky ,i own the building but despite "ticking over " i fear for the staff if i have to cut and run. been trading 40 years this year .

@Bill do your staff shop online? If they do they cannot complain as they are part of the problem.

 

[Blue Mist]

Where are all the Labour/left wing/trade union posters that are usually on here?
Boohoo are implicated in Slave Labour in this country and the silence is deafening. Boohoo now buy a major retail name and 12,000 jobs are lost but no one says anything about them. The Trade Unions should have been kicking up a huge stink about Boohoo and demanding an inquiry and yet they are silent. The whole business model is a disgrace no matter what a PR company say on their behalf.

Edit: I do not want to derail the thread into left v right, I just don't understand the silence.

 

[MaineDAWG2008]

OK then if some here say its business rents. Why can't the bloody council/govt reduce these? U will end up having a town of abandoned shops, which is not pleasing to the eye. The govt has to realise, if businesses go down === no rent comes in. Reduce it so they can survive, esp during these difficult times. Also car parks, extortion prices for customers to pay.