Stores picked clean as they close their doors for the last time
THESE were the scenes at two of Wales’ largest department stores as they prepared to close their doors for the final time.
The Debenhams stores in St David’s Shopping Centre in Cardiff and the Quadrant Shopping Centre in Swansea were busy with shoppers on Saturday as prices for the remaining stock were slashed and reductions of up to 80% were on offer.
Once full with fragrances, makeup, clothing, and gifts, most of the shelves at the iconic high street stores were bare by mid-morning with only one or two floors remaining open to customers at both outlets.
Empty make-up counters, bare clothing racks and boxes of disused coat hangers littered the vast empty shop floors and most of the tills were closed and silent.
These were the final hours for Debenhams in Wales and the rest of the UK as the department store chain closed its remaining 28 stores for good.
A staple of British high streets for more than 200 years, Debenhams struggled to carry on during the coronavirus lockdowns before it was finally announced in January that the brand would close all of its stores.
The company started its liquidation process at the start of this year after failing to secure a rescue sale.
Debenhams, which employed more than 20,000 people before the pandemic, sold its brand and website to online giant Boohoo for £55m in January but confirmed its bricks and mortar business would close for good.
On the final day of high street trading for the 243-year-old brand, both remaining Welsh stores displayed a closing time of 4.30pm, but staff confirmed that the shops would close earlier if “everything gets sold” sooner.
Debenhams ran a huge fire sale this month as it cleared its remaining items before the brand becomes a fully online operation.
In Cardiff, hugely popular brand counters like Benefit, Calvin Klein, and Yves Saint Laurent were completely empty, along with many others.
Shoppers were only allowed on the ground and first floors, with the second floor closed off completely.
It was a similar scene in Swansea. The flagship Debenhams store has been the cornerstone of the city’s retail offering for more than 40 years and leaves a gaping hole at the centre of Swansea’s largest shopping precinct.
Only the ground floor remained open at lunchtime, with the majority of shelves cleared and minimal stock left on display. Deals of up to 80% off clothing were on offer. At both stores, staff could be seen hugging and were visibly emotional.