debenhams gone into liquidation

[Guest]

Gutted. I love Debenhams and regularly shop there

[Mr Tom Morrow]

I lay money on the fact that the Amazon board have been planning for over a year as to how they intend to fill the gap as these Dept Stores and others collapse.

I have no doubt that they will launch a huge fashion part of their website with the ability to take advantage of reduced return fees thus enabling different sizes to be bought and return at a reasonable cost those that don't fit.

I give John Lewis 12 months at the most.

[HFJohnson]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

I lay money on the fact that the Amazon board have been planning for over a year as to how they intend to fill the gap as these Dept Stores and others collapse.

I have no doubt that they will launch a huge fashion part of their website with the ability to take advantage of reduced return fees thus enabling different sizes to be bought and return at a reasonable cost those that don't fit.

I give John Lewis 12 months at the most.

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There was a program about Amazon on channel 4 the other day - I didn't watch the whole thing but I'm pretty sure part of it was discussing their plans for bringing clothing onto the website, or improving how they do it at the moment.

[Sandra & co]

Love Debenhams and worked there many years ago, it’s the only shop worth visiting in Harrow.

[Elmhurst 5]

I too havn't shopped in a Debenhams store for a long time, nearest one a 50 minute drive away. Have used them for online shopping tho. As others have said, they have been in trouble for some years now and maybe just not adapted to todays modern shopping methods. Very sad and a big hole in the high streets where they are situated. More so for the 12,000 or more staff losing their jobs.
My local M and S closed over a year ago, I now don't ever go into town as its full of coffee shops, barbers, charity shops, several banks and BS's, poundland and thats about it. No point in going no decent clothes shops anymore.

[RachaelC]

Not a massive surprise as they’ve been in trouble for a long time, but my heart goes out to their employees.

12,000 people knowing their jobs have gone, just before Christmas and in the current environment is so sad.

[snowbelle]

Its very sad for all involved, our local High St is decimated and Debenhams is one of the flagship stores in our new shopping area which already has retailers which have closed.
I used to work for a standalone Debenhams restaurant and they were good to work for but unfortunately constant pressure to reach unfathomable targets made it a hard working environment and no longer an enjoyable role.

[TractorBoy]

Won't go down well with some but maybe now is the time for big retail parks to be built on the outskirts of towns to accommodate more retail shops that are unable to survive the huge business rates that are killing so many town centres.

If Debenhams close in Ipswich town centre the only thing left will be M&S and Primark.

The rest are coffee shops, charity shops, phone shops and Turkish barbers. Even the two shopping centres are basically empty.

Plus to park is so expensive!

[nothingless]

Originally Posted by megaflyer

JL, M&S (non food) and Next are the ones I wouldn’t be surprised go. JL are even closing (for good) part of their flagship store on Oxford Street and converting some floors into office space to rent (yeah who will want to rent office space right now in Oxford Street ? But a friend of mine is working on the project so I wish him well)

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At least Next have a thriving webshop - they ship nearly worldwide for local rates, and even though I no longer live in the UK, I order from them ALL the time, especially clothes for my daughter. I know many others here in the Netherlands who shop with Next online reguarly, so it must be similar in many other countries. Highstreet wise though... yeah it's hard to imagine all 3 surviving!

[snowbelle]

Originally Posted by TractorBoy

Won't go down well with some but maybe now is the time for big retail parks to be built on the outskirts of towns to accommodate more retail shops that are unable to survive the huge business rates that are killing so many town centres.

If Debenhams close in Ipswich town centre the only thing left will be M&S and Primark.

The rest are coffee shops, charity shops, phone shops and Turkish barbers. Even the two shopping centres are basically empty.

Plus to park is so expensive!

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It would make some sense, but many of us live in green belt land areas and out of town Big retail parks would make things harder with less frequent public transport routes, elderly visitors not being able to reach these parks.
Costa wanted to build a huge drive thru not far from me , luckily the council stopped it as it would have impacted on huge queues sneaking onto a main road into town and cars queuing on a blind spot right near a primary school.

Whilst we do have spare units in a couple of smaller retail parks until our local council address the traffic problem which they have been discussing since 1967 people will go elsewhere to shop , therefore causing more outlets to close.
We have no Bypass which smaller towns around us do and we have three main arterial roads from Wales and upwards towards the North and traffic is a nightmare on the best of days.