End of an era: last of UK’s Debenhams stores to close this Saturday

The UK’s last remaining Debenhams stores will be closing their doors on Saturday after more than 240 years since the department store began trading.

Last year, it was announced that the historic Debenhams brand will be going into liquidation by the end of Q1 2021 as the pandemic delivered the final blow to the ailing retailer. Shoppers have since flocked to the last remaining outlets as Debenhams offered a wide range of discounts and sales to rid itself of remaining stock.

Saturday will see the last 28 remaining stores closed for good. However, the Debenhams brand will continue to trade online after it was purchased by online giant retailer Boohoo for £55 million (€61 million).

Debenhams will continue to operate its website for an agreed upon period before relaunching on Boohoo’s web platform in 2022.

At its hight, the historic brand operated over 150 stores across the UK.

In Malta, operator of the UK franchise, United Department Stores Limited, last December noted that operations are intrinsically tied to the UK Company for the supply of merchandise, thereby impacting the availability of product for sale.

It remains to be seen whether the local Debenhams will continue to operate without disruption, sourcing Debenhams clothing from its new owners, Boohoo, instead.