The numbers of department store cookshops will continue to diminish with the announcement this week (January 13) that six Debenhams stores will not reopen after lockdown, including the flagship in London’s Oxford Street.
Debenhams Group’s administrator FRP Advisory announced the start of the ‘winding down and stock liquidation process’ on December 1. In this week’s statement, the administrator explained: ‘While it remains our intention to reopen as many stores as possible to complete the stock liquidation, which continues online, the announcement of a renewed national lockdown last week means that a number of stores where we have been unable to agree lease extensions will be permanently closed.’
Portsmouth, Staines, Harrogate, Weymouth and Worcester stores are the other stores that will not reopen.
Geoff Rowley, joint administrator to Debenhams and partner at FRPAdvisory said: “We continue to engage with interested parties over alternative proposals for the future of Debenhams, but inevitably the latest lockdown has had an effect on our plans for the wind-down of the business.”
Top: Goodbye to Debenhams Oxford Street.
