Debenhams has gone bust. Will you miss it?

I didn’t but I am really saddened to see the disappearance of yet another bastion of the High Street.
Where will it end?

Yes, I used Debenhams a lot ???
I really like their stores, and enjoyed browsing there in normal times.I shall miss them and hope they keep up an online presence at least.I know they have been closing some of their stores around the country for the last year or more.

Yes, I love Debenhams and used it a lot- especially some of their franchises.

UG could you provide a link to this, please? can't find it on BBC business news; they've been in trouble for a while but didn't realised they had finally gone bankrupt.

I only shopped there once in a blue moon- having to walk through the waft of the perfume department onthe ground floor to get to other floors is enough to put me off visiting department stores like this in general.

I saw that too urmstongran. I hadn't used Debenhams for years as it was beyond JL in our shopping centre. But, I recently went in to look at a French houseware franchise and was pleasantly surprised at how light and airy it was compared with previous visits.

As maw says, regardless of whether one uses them personally or not, it's sad to love another major chain.

news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-debenhams-owners-draw-up-plan-for-department-store-chains-liquidation-12049794

A link

I too am sorry to see anot her high street store disappear but, in all honesty, I couldn't be doing with Debenhams at all. Too overcrowded with stock that it was like a jumble sale in full swing. And a paucity of sales staff to approach for advice that you could be wandering about looking for someone for ages. Sorry it's gone though and for the staff who are losing their jobs.

I used to shop in Debenhams regularly and can remember when two family stores in Plymouth were bought out by Debenhams.

However, I haven't been in a store for years and are that the presentation did become rather untidy.
I have shopped for household items online but not for a few months.

It's such a pity to see another High Street name go, and I feel for all the staff who will lose their jobs.

Where will it end?

I will miss it. Straight outside the tram stop, nice choice of franchises in ladies wear, very good bra selection, good housewares and bed linen.

The bigger they come the harder they fall.
High streets are like ghost towns now and it's not over yet

I have thought that Debenhams seemed overstocked with far too many ranges for a long time, particularly online.

Debenhams has been teetering on the edge for some time, sadly. I didn’t buy much from there, but I would often browse and sometimes make a purchase. I prefer John Lewis or M&S, but would often shop around. John Lewis a bit more upmarket, but not always better in quality. Such a shame though about our well known high street department stores having a hard time, but I am tending to buy online more now, since COVID entered our lives, as I don’t particularly want to venture into a big city/shopping centre. I do enjoy looking around the shops, when i’m in the mood to do so, particularly small independent shops. I am, unfortunately, partly responsible, as are many more like me, for store closures. They are just not getting the footfall and with high business rates, it’s not a good combination.

I use it online a lot. But large department stores just arent going to survive.

No cos we haven’t got one in my town

I used to shop there a lot when I lived in town but that was 11 years ago. Their stores were becoming more and more jumbled and it seems that they would try to flog anything.

Before Covid I used to browse in Debenhams quite a lot so will be sorry to see it go.

The one in my town has been very poor for years now. Overstocked, muddled as one poster said like a jumble sale ! However it’s another nail in the coffin for high streets. I’d love to see a renaissance of smaller independent shops

I'm with you on that, quizqueen, I hate having to fight my way through the asphyxiating perfumes to get to the rest of the shop. Then you have to trawl from one franchise to another - and back - to browse and compare clothes. I'm not that much of a fan of shopping that I want to wander about all day looking for something. I'd rather all the (e.g.) dresses were together and not spread round the shop.

Having said that, I'm sorry that Debenhams has gone under but hope for more small independent stores to open in due course, as Lucca says.

EllanVannin

The bigger they come the harder they fall.
High streets are like ghost towns now and it's not over yet

Agree Ellan there is really no reason to go shopping, groceries or otherwise. I feel sad and depressed when I venture there. And Covid has been the final nail in the coffin.

Before COVID, a few GNs and I used to meet up for coffee regularly at the Oxford Street store. Other places charged a fortune for coffee and we usually stayed for a cheap and good lunch.

I loathed the loud music played during the day. I did tell the manager I was not going to a disco but my complaint fell on deaf ears.

Once these big stores close down, we seem to have to put up with boarded up buildings which makes the town centre look very seedy.

I can’t see them being taken over very quickly in the economic climate we will be suffering for a good few years.

I liked the different franchises and our Debenhams was always well laid out. Because of the franchises the choice was very good with plenty of dressing rooms. Also bought a lot of stuff online from them; great service. Will really miss it and feel very sorry for staff.

I'm really sorry for those that have lost their jobs. I won't miss them! The writing was on the wall before the lockdown I occasionally went to branches of the store in a couple of nearby towns, I'm lucky John Lewis is my nearest store and they dominate retail in my local town. Debenhams always struck me as very badly run and everything was a mish mash compared to JL. I went into the Wimbledon branch of Debenhams a while ago and was served by a couple of helpful staff who went out of their way to help me find what I was looking for, quite unusual for Debenhams!

On several occasions I've hung around in the make up/perfume department and failed to attract the attention of staff deep in conversations, obviously far more interesting than serving a customer wishing to spend some money