Department Stores
The latest news, updates and analysis on the department stores segment of the the UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Feb- 2019 -12 February
Debenhams secures £40m cash injection
Debenhams has received a £40m cash injection from lenders in order to buy it more time as it looks to secure a longer term investment deal. The new investment allows the retailer to extend its current £520m borrowing facilities with banks for another 12 months, meaning it will be able…
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6 February
Warehouse supplying HoF to shut affecting 280 jobs
A warehouse which supplies deliveries to House of Fraser is set to close later this year, affecting some 280 job roles. Trade union Usdaw announced that the Wellingborough, Northampton site, operated by XPO Logistics will shut on 10 April. The union said the closure ended months of “uncertainty for staff”…
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4 February
Debenhams to ‘close 20 stores’ in CVA plan
Debenhams could reveal plans to close 20 stores as this week, the embattled department store chain will announce it has secured a cash injection from its lenders. According to the Sunday Telegraph, Debenhams wants to reduce its store portfolio to 90 outlets over the next five years, resulting in the…
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Jan- 2019 -24 January
John Lewis to close Knight & Lee in Southsea; 127 jobs at risk
John Lewis & Partners has announced it will close its Knight & Lee store in Southsea in July 2019, putting all 127 staff at risk of redundancy. According to the group, the decision to close the property has been “driven by a number of factors”, including the physical condition, size,…
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23 January
Sports Direct saves House of Fraser Intu stores
Four House of Fraser stores in Intu shopping centres have been saved from closure, avoiding the loss of more than 1,000 jobs. The Lakeside, Metrocentre, Norwich, and Nottingham stores were at risk of closing after Sports Direct was unable to reach an agreement with Intu Properties landlords. In November, Sports…
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18 January
Moodys lowers Debenhams and New Look ratings
Financial services firm Moodys has changed the outlook for both New Look and Debenhams from stable to negative amid both retailer’s current financial troubles. Debenhams posted a poor Christmas trading update and is currently holding discussions to refinance its £320m revolving credit facility. The department store reported a 3.4% drop…
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18 January
John Lewis & Partners announce management shake-up
John Lewis & Partners has announced that Dino Rocos, partner and operations director, will retire at the end of May 2019 after 43 years with the business, According to the group, from the end of January until he retires Rocos will report directly to Patrick Lewis, group finance director for…
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10 January
Debenhams chairman ousted by Mike Ashley
The chairman of Debenhams, Sir Ian Cheshire, has resigned with immediate effect after Mike Ashley and other shareholders voted him off the board at the company’s AGM. It is understood Sports Direct, which is controlled by Mike Ashley and is a 29.7% shareholder in the business, along with Dubai-based Landmark, another…
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10 January
John Lewis staff face missing out on bonus for first time since 1953
John Lewis staff could lose their share of the department store giant’s profit for the first time since 1953. Traditionally, John Lewis pays a share of its profit to its 83,000 workers, however this has been brought into doubt after the retailer said it would “consider carefully” whether the bonus…
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10 January
Debenhams suffers sales struggle over Christmas
Department store chain Debenhams has reported a 3.4% drop in group like-for-like (LFL) sales for the six weeks to 5 January. Group gross transaction value for the period declined by 3.8%, and and overall UK sales declined by 3.6%, with weak store footfall offset by growth in digital. For the…
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