LAST DAYS OF The spend Of an era
DEBENHAMS staff were reduced to tears as the shutters started falling on more than 240 years of history.
Nicola Rice, 35, who works in the retailer’s Sheffield city centre store, is one of 12,000 workers losing their jobs.
The mum, who worked there since leaving school, admitted: “I’m going to cry when the shutters come down on Saturday. I love our regular customers and they say coming to see us has been the highlight of their day.
“Sadly I think it was stuck in at time warp, but in a nice way.”
Nicola said she had worked at the store “on and off for 20 years”,
She added: “I haven’t found another job yet and I’ve lost my safety net now.”
On Wednesday, 21 Debenhams branches closed including Blackburn, Bournemouth, Carlisle, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Guildford, Mansfield, Preston and Scarborough. The final 28, including Sheffield, will shut for good this Saturday.
The company collapsed into administration and its website and brand were bought by online giant Boohoo for £55million in January, but not its stores. Yesterday hazard tape sealed off vast parts of the Sheffield store, with the menswear escalator cut off by red barriers and a note saying “sold out”. The make up counters were being dismantled as shoppers searched through the stock left under signs reading “everything must go”. Mum-of-two, Patricia Gomez, 59, said she had been shopping at the huge city centre store for around 40 years. She said: “I can’t believe it’s going. I bought my children’s Holy Communion outfits and my daughter’s prom dress here.
“I’ve bought two dresses for my brother’s wedding today. It’s so sad.” The Mirror’s High Street Fight
Sadness as Debenhams stores shut after collapse
back campaign is championing town centre retail businesses. Locals are worried what will fill the empty space, after recently losing John Lewis and 15 other important stores.
Lauren Shaw, 30, said stores like Debenhams were vital for the community after bumping into a friend she had not seen in 12 years.
“I do a lot of shopping online but stores like this bring people into the city and it brings the community together,” she said. “If I hadn’t come into town would not have bumped into her.”
Rachel Shorley, a civil servant, also 30,
I added: “They are rejuvenating the city so I just think we need to be patient.” But retired Marks & Spencer worker David Marsh, 80, said: “With John Lewis closing down too, it’s depressing. “I’m worried it’s damaged the heart of Sheffield. It’s another blow. “Hopefully the public will come back to the high street, because it has improved vastly over the years.” Debenhams opened in Sheffield in 1971. The chain was bought by a trio of private equity barons in 2003 for £600m. Less than three years later they banked £1.2billion when it floated on the stock market but debts had gone from £100m to £1bn. Independent retail consultant Richard Hyman said: “The writing has been on the wall for Debenhams for an awfully long time. Its sales were too weak and its ranges were not very relevant. But the pivotal issue was the level of debt it had, which meant it had no money to invest.” But there is hope for some branches, with the Bournemouth store being revived as Bobby’s, which it opened as in 1972 before becoming a Debenhams.