Debenhams

Summary

Debenhams is a renowned British heritage retailer offering a curated selection of over three thousand brands across beauty, fashion and homeware. With a rich history and a commitment to exceptional customer experiences, Debenhams is also the ultimate online destination for those seeking an unrivalled selection of iconic brands.

History

Shopping mall Debenhams traces its history back to 1778 when William Clark opened a drapers store at 44 Wigmore Street, London retailing expensive fabrics, bonnets, gloves and parasols. In 1813, William Debenham invested in the firm which was then renamed Clark and Debenham.

As the business became profitable, the partners opened stores in Cheltenham and Harrogate. In 1837, Clark retired and Debenham partnered his trusted staff, William Pooley and John Smith, trading as Debenham, Pooley and Smith. By 1840, the management of the Cheltenham store was given to Debenham’s brother-in-law Clement Freebody. In 1843, another branch opened in Harrogate. Pooley and Smith retired in 1851 when Debenham partnered his son, William, and Clement Freebody, trading as Debenham, Son and Freebody. In 1876 when Freebody retired, a new partnership, Debenham and Hewitt, was established owing to a collaboration with George Hewitt. By 1883, Hewitt was sole owner of the Cheltenham store, with Frank and William Debenham managing the London store as a separate entity. The company was incorporated as Debenhams Limited in 1905 and a new headquarters opened in Wigmore Street three years later.

The Debenhams group grew from the acquisition of department stores in towns and cities throughout the UK, under the leadership of Chairman Ernest Debenham. In 1919, the company acquired Marshall and Snellgrove and the following year, Harvey Nichols. Seven years later, the company purchased Drapery Trust and then got listed on London Stock Exchange. In 1976, Debenhams acquired Browns of Chester. The business diversified during the Seventies, acquiring supermarket group Cater Brothers. However, business declined and in 1979 the chain was sold to Allied Suppliers. Debenhams was in the news for all the wrong reasons when it was targeted during the Eighties by Animal Liberation Front for sale of animal furs. As a result, the company stopped selling clothes with animal furs.

In 1985, the company was acquired by the Burton Group and in 1997 the first international franchise store opened in Bahrain. However Debenhams de-merged from the Burton Group in January 1998 and was once again listed as a separate company on London Stock Exchange until 2003 when it was purchased by Baroness Retail Ltd. Debenhams returned to London Stock Exchange again in May 2006. In September 2007, the company acquired nine stores from Roches in the Republic of Ireland followed by Danish department store group Magasin Du Nord for reported £12.3 million, two years later. In April 2019, Debenhams plc entered administration and delisted. The operating businesses, under Debenhams Group Holdings Ltd, were acquired by a consortium of lenders, Celine UK NewCo 1 Ltd. Debenhams gained access to reported £200m of funding and embarked on a restructuring plan.

On 1 December 2020, Debenhams announced it was going into liquidation. On 13 January 2021, it announced closure of six stores in England due to the pandemic. On 25 January 2021, Boohoo acquired Debenhams for reported £55m after Debenhams announced it will shut its remaining stores by 15 May, closing the door on more than 200 years of trade on UK high streets. Announcing the final closures, Debenhams said in a statement: “Over the next 10 days, Debenhams will close its doors on the High Street for the final time in its 242 year history. We hope to see you all one last time in stores before we say a final goodbye to the UK High Street.”

Mission Statement

We give our customers around the world a unique, differentiated and exclusive mix of own brands, International brands and concessions.

Vision

Debenhams envisions delivering Growth by becoming a Destination for “Social Shopping” and offering exciting new products and services to consumers.

Key Team

Mark Gifford (Chairman); Stefaan Vansteenkiste (CEO)

Products and Services

In 1993, Debenhams introduced ‘Designers at Debenhams’, the creation of then CEO Belinda Earl, Ben de Lisi and Spencer Hawken. This brand introduced fashion designers and labels such as Jasper Conran, John Rocha, Butterfly by Matthew Williamson, H! by Henry Holland, Star by Julien MacDonald, Frost French, Janet Reger, Ted Baker, St George by Duffer, Jeff Banks, and Ben de Lisi. In 2010, Debenhams announced the launch of four new designers to its assortment i.e. Jonathan Saunders, Preen, Jonathan Kelsey and Roksanda Ilincic. Following the purchase of a stake by Mike Ashley, the owner of Sports Direct, in January 2014, Debenhams announced a trial of Sports Direct concessions in its Harrow and Southsea stores.

Later that year, Debenhams also launched trials of Costa Coffee and Mothercare concessions within stores. In October 2016, the company announced it would begin to focus less on clothing and more on food, beauty products and gifting. Debenhams proudly provided stellar services to its clients. It operated retail websites in the UK and Ireland, as well as a mobile-enabled website and mobile apps that allowed customers to shop online and scan product barcodes in store. Debenhams also provided store card and credit card services, operated by NewDay. Insurance products were provided under the Debenhams brand by other financial companies. Debenhams also operated bureaux de change in select stores. The company also ran a loyalty card programme, Debenhams Beauty Club, where customers could collect points with the purchase of health and beauty products!!

References

• Official website Debenhams
• The ‘perfect storm’ facing Debenhams Sky
• Wikipedia page of Debenhams Wikipedia
• Debenhams to open Costa coffee shops as it taps brands for hospitality push Campaign
• LinkedIn page of Debenhams LinkedIn
• End of an era for Debenhams as final shops set to close BBC
• Twitter page of Debenhams Twitter
• Debenhams shakes-up long-standing fashion designer partnerships Standard
• Instagram profile of Debenhams Instagram
• History Debenhams
• Facebook page of Debenhams Facebook
• Debenhams in profit alert as sales continue to slide BBC
• YouTube channel of Debenhams YouTube
• Debenhams falls into administration, wiping out Mike Ashley’s stake Guardian
• Debenhams in administration for second time in year Sky
• Coronavirus: Debenhams to file for administration BBC
• Debenhams makes its return to the high street with beauty store in Manchester Independent
• Roches Stores vs Debenhams Independent
• Debenhams steps into mainland Europe FT
• Debenhams up for sale Guardian