Brighton’s Debenhams closed this past Saturday for the final time as the departure of high street stores from the city continues.
The store, located in Churchill Square, is one of 28 stores which were told to close over the weekend, after another 21 locations closed across the country on Thursday.
The department store, having operated for over 243 years, has taken the decision to close certain so called ‘brick and mortar’ stores because of the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw the brand collapse completely.
Due to this, many customers took advantage of the final days of operations with heavy discounts reaching as much as 80% across different departments including fashion and homewares.
In an official statement from the former high street giant before closing for good, a spokesperson stated “We are now heading into the final days of our closing down sale and this is the very last chance for our customers to take advantage of some incredible deals.
“With up to 80 per cent off across our remaining stores, customers are urged to shop now while stocks last.
“Our sincere thanks go out to all of our colleagues and customers who have joined us on this journey, and we hope to see you one last time before say a final goodbye to the UK high street.”
The company had suffered greatly in the past few years because of online shopping’s continued growth and the large decrease in consumer spending power following the pandemic, which left the public with no free income to spend, with Debenhams and other giants dealing with spiralling rent costs at a time when customers were unable to patronise their locations.
Brighton has suffered the closure of several local stores who have shut their doors, with both Topshop and New Look having disappeared in recent months.
Just like these names, Debenhams sold its website and its brand identity to major online retailer Boohoo in January for £55 million, with the company now believed to be operating online only in the future in line with expected shopping trends, keeping the brand hopefully future proof for its large customer base who proved loyal to the company over its many years of operation.
Photo Credit: Nick Fewings
