Debenhams to close a further five department stores
Debenhams is to close an further five department stores in a move that will put 1,000 jobs at risk.
The shops are all situated in Hammerson shopping centres in Birmingham, Leicester, Reading, Glasgow and Croydon and are currently closed due to lockdown.
In a statement, a Debenhams spokesperson said: “We can confirm that despite our best efforts, we have been unable to agree terms with Hammerson on our five stores in its shopping centres, and so they will not be reopening.
“We continue to engage in constructive talks with our landlords and have agreed terms on the vast majority of our stores, which we look forward to reopening when government restrictions allow.”
Last month, Debenhams appointed administrators as it looked to protect its UK business from the threat of legal action that could have pushed it into liquidation. At the time, the administrators said they would be adopting a “light touch” administration to help the business get to a position where it could re-open as many of its 142 stores as possible once the covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
