Debenhams
Company type | Public limited company |
---|---|
Industry | Retailing |
Predecessor | Drapery Trust |
Founded | London (1813) |
Successor | Burton |
Headquarters | London |
Key people | John Lovering, Chairman Rob Templeman,Jamie Davis |
Products | Clothing, cosmetics, housewares |
Revenue | £2,090 million GBP (2005) |
Number of employees | 19,000 |
Website | www.debenhams.com |
Debenhams plc (LSE: DEB) is a retailer with a chain of department stores based in the United Kingdom, and franchised stores in a number of other countries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
The original 'Debenham & Freebody' store was based at number 33 Wigmore Street, London. This site is still used by the company and houses its communications departments, including their Press Office.
The modern Debenhams group grew from the acquisition of department stores in towns and cities throughout the UK, through its chairman Ernest Debenham. The first of such purchases, Marshall & Snelgrove in Oxford Street, London was acquired in 1919. Later purchases included stores such as Harvey Nichols in London's Knightsbridge and Browns of Chester. Most stores retained their former identities until a unified corporate image was rolled out across the stores.
Debenhams was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1928 and continued to expand. In 1985 the company was acquired by the Burton group. At this point the company owned 65 stores. Debenhams demerged in 1998 and was once again listed as a separate company.
Like many companies of this type Debenhams had some hard times. In 1997, however, Belinda Earl, who had previously worked for the company, returned to become its Chief Executive. She and Spencer Hawken introduced "Designers at Debenhams" which brought a variety of well known fashion talents to the stores at affordable prices, shaking off the dated perception of the company.
The company expanded rapidly throughout the 1990s and now has a total of 135 stores in the UK and Ireland with new stores recently opened at the MetroCentre in Gateshead and Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
In 2002 the Nectar loyalty card was introduced with Debenhams as a major sponsor. This card now allows customers to collect loyalty points from a range of retailers such as Sainsbury's, BP, Beefeater and Ford amongst others. Despite some criticism, the Debenhams Account Card is still a major source of revenue for the company ensuring customer loyalty and targeted mailings.
Debenhams also offers 'Debenhams Wedding Gift Service', where couples can create their wedding gift lists, from which guests can buy. In addition to the consumer website where customers can purchase goods online, the company now offers 'Debenhams To You', a service where goods can be ordered over the telephone, either from the customer's home or through a special in-store telephone, and delivered direct to the customer.
Selected Debenhams stores offer a personal shopping service. This is a service requiring an appointment, made either over the telephone, or in store. The personal shopper is trained to look at the requirements of the individual customer and with an appeciation of current trends and broad knowledge of Debenhams product ranges advises the customer and selects items on their behalf.
The company was taken over in late 2003 by a private consortium comprising CVC Capital Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity and management. The company returned to the stock exchange on 4th May 2006.
Debenhams was voted 8th 'most favourably viewed brand' by 'Marketing Magazine' in 2006.
The store has been trialling a compact version called 'Desire by Debenhams' which is mainly aimed at the female market with clothing ranges by 'Designers at Debenhams' and cosmetics.
Aside from department stores, Debenhams operates a number of other divisions, including 'Debenhams Finance' (offering home, car and travel insurance and bureau de change services) and 'Debenhams Mobile' (offering mobile phones).
On 8 August 2006 it was confirmed that Debenhams is to buy 9 of the 11 Roches Stores department stores in Ireland and operate them as Debenhams.
Underlying sales performance has been poorer than expected following the company's recent return to the stockmarket led by Rob Templeman. The existing final salary pension scheme is to be axed following 'financial strain' on the company.
Store format
Debenhams stores are currently departmentalized as follows:
- Health and Beauty (Cosmetics, Fragrances & Toiletries)
- Womenswear (Designer Women's Clothing, Bridalwear & Lingerie)
- Menswear (Men's Casual Clothing, Sportswear, Formalwear, Men's Accessories, Footwear)
- Fashion Accessories (Handbags, Jewellery, Men's & Women's watches, Women's Footwear)
- Young Fashion (Red Herring, Oasis, Jane Norman, Topshop etc)
- Home (Bedding, Electrical, Furniture, Soft Furnishings, China, Lighting, Luggage & Kitchenware)
- Children's (Children's Clothes, Accessories, Footwear & Toys)
- Food Services (The Restaurant & Cafe Venue in most stores)
- Wedding Services (also known as Celebration)
Debenhams stores vary greatly in size from the flagship store in Oxford Street, London to the smaller stores in locations such as Bangor. Some such stores do not have a full range of departments.
Part of Debenhams's source of business is concessions. These are 'shops-in-shops' which can be found in most Debenhams stores such as Young Fashion companies 'Oasis' and Ladieswear outlet 'Evans'.
The company's innovation has proved successful by introducing branding into its menswear and ladieswear lines. The 'Designers at Debenhams' include Jasper Conran, John Richmond, John Rocha, The Duffer of St. George and Betty Jackson.
Online shopping
Debenham's website is run by a separate company called Debenhams Direct, which also operates their catalogue shopping service. Not all stock shown on the website will be available in any particular store, and vice versa. Orders placed in store via, for example, the Debenham's Wedding Service may be delivered in part by Debenhams and in part by Debenhams Direct.
United Kingdom
This list (which may have dates, numbers, etc.) may be better in a sortable table format. |
All of the company's UK department stores currently trade as 'Debenhams', except 'Browns' in Chester. Debenhams also operates an expanding number of 'Desire by Debenhams' concept stores, the first of which opened in Truro in 2004.
London
- Bromley (formerly Nicholsons)
- Clapham Junction (formerly Allders Clapham Junction / Arding & Hobbs)
- Croydon (formerly Kennards)
- Eltham
- Harrow (formerly Sopers; central recruitment department is also located here)
- Hounslow
- Ilford (formerly Allders Ilford / Owen Owen Ilford)
- Oxford Street (formerly Marshall & Snelgrove)
- Welbeck Street (London Head Office)
- Romford (formerly Stones)
- Sutton (formerly Allders Sutton / Shinners)
- Uxbridge
- White City, Westfield London (opening in 2008)
- Wimbledon
South East England
- Basildon (formerly Allders Basildon)
- Basingstoke (opened 2002)
- Bedford (formerly E P Rose)
- Brighton
- Broadstairs, Westwood Cross
- Canterbury (formerly William Lefevre)
- Chatham (formerly Allders Chatham)
- Chelmsford (formerly Bonds)
- Colchester
- Crawley (formerly Owen Owen Crawley)
- Eastbourne (formerly Bobbys Eastbourne)
- Farnborough
- Folkestone (formerly Bobbys Folkestone)
- Gravesend
- Guildford (formerly Plummer Roddis Guildford)
- Hastings (formerly Plummer Roddis Hastings)
- Hemel Hempstead
- Luton
- Milton Keynes
- Newbury
- Northampton (formerly Adnitt Brothers)
- Orpington, Desire by Debenhams
- Portsmouth (formerly Allders Portsmouth / Landport Drapery Bazaar)
- Reading (formerly Wellsteeds)
- Slough (formerly Allders Slough / Owen Owen Slough / Suters)
- Southampton (formerly Edwin Jones)
- Southend-on-Sea
- Southsea (formerly Handleys)
- Staines (formerly Kennards Staines)
- Walton-on-Thames, Desire by Debenhams (opening in August 2007)
- West Thurrock Lakeside
- Winchester (formerly Sheriff & Ward)
- Woking (formerly Allders Woking)
- Worthing (formerly John K Hubbard)
South West England
- Bath (opening with the completion of the Southgate redevelopment c. 2009)
- Bournemouth (formerly Bobbys Bournemouth)
- Bristol (formerly Jones)
- Exeter (formerly Bobbys Exeter / Green & Son; relocating in August 2007 to the new Princesshay shopping development)
- Plymouth (formerly Spooners and John Yeo)
- Salisbury (formerly Style & Gerrish)
- Swindon
- Taunton (formerly W & A Chapman)
- Taunton, Bedford House (Taunton Head Office)
- Torquay (formerly Bobbys Torquay)
- Truro, Desire by Debenhams
- Weymouth
Central England
- Banbury
- Birmingham, Bull Ring
- Birmingham, The Fort Shopping Park, Desire by Debenhaams
- Cambridge
- Cheltenham
- Coventry
- Derby (formerly Ranbys)
- Dudley, Merry Hill
- Gloucester
- Hanley (formerly Lewis's Hanley)
- Hereford (no Debenhams store exists in the city but the 'Intermissions' restaurant located in the Maylord Shopping Centre is owned and operated by Debenhams)
- Ipswich (formerly Footman Pretty)
- King's Lynn (formerly Jermyns)
- Leicester
- Lincoln
- Mansfield
- Norwich (formerly Curls / Curl Brothers)
- Nottingham (formerly Griffin & Spalding)
- Nuneaton (formerly Smiths)
- Oxford (formerly Elliston & Cavell)
- Redditch (100th UK store to open)
- Stratford-upon-Avon (formerly Smiths Stratford-upon-Avon)
- Telford
- Walsall
- Worcester (formerly Simes)
Yorkshire
- Barnsley (opening with completion of Markets complex c.2011)
- Bradford (opening with completion of Broadway shopping centre)
- Doncaster, Frenchgate Centre
- Harrogate (formerly Marshall & Snelgrove Harrogate)
- Hull (formerly Thornton Varley)
- Ilkley (concession within Westgate Department Store)
- Keighley (concession within Westgate Department Store)
- Leeds, Briggate (formerly Matthias Robinson Leeds)
- Leeds, White Rose
- Scarborough (formerly Marshall & Snelgrove Scarborough)
- Sheffield (formerly Pauldens; 'Debenhams Direct' customer services and Debenhams' property department is also located here)
- Sheffield, Meadowhall
- Skipton (concession within Westgate Department Store)
- York (formerly Marshall & Snelgrove York)
North East England
- Gateshead, MetroCentre
- Middlesbrough (formerly Newhouse)
- Newcastle upon Tyne, Eldon Square (opening in 2009)
- South Shields, Desire by Debenhams
- Stockton-on-Tees (formerly Matthias Robinson Stockton-on-Tees)
- Sunderland
North West England
- Altrincham, Desire by Debenhams (opened 2007)
- Barrow-in-Furness
- Blackburn
- Blackpool (opening in Spring 2008)
- Bolton
- Carlisle
- Chester, Browns
- Liverpool (opening in March 2008)
- Manchester (formerly Rylands)
- Manchester, Trafford Centre
- Oldham
- Preston
- Southport (formerly Marshall & Snelgrove Southport)
- Stockport
- Warrington
- Wigan (formerly Pendleburys)
- Workington
Northern Ireland
- Bangor (opening as part of the Queens Parade Complex)
- Belfast
- Craigavon, Rushmere Shopping Centre
- Derry, Foyleside Shopping Centre
- Newry
Scotland
- Aberdeen
- Ayr
- Dundee
- Dunfermline (opening as part of the Kingsgate Centre extension in 2008)
- East Kilbride
- Falkirk, Desire by Debenhams
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Glasgow, Silverburn Mall
- Inverness
- Kirkcaldy, Desire by Debenhams
- Leith, Ocean Terminal
- Livingston (opening as part of The Elements shopping centre in 2008)
- Perth
- Stirling
Wales
- Bangor
- Cardiff
- Carmarthen (opening in 2008)
- Llandudno
- Merthyr Tydfil, Desire by Debenhams
- Newport (opening in 2009)
- Swansea
- Wrexham (opening in 2008)
International locations
All department stores in international locations (except the Republic of Ireland) trade as 'Debenhams' name under franchise agreements. Two of the franchisees 'Ermes' in Cyprus and 'Sogo' in Indonesia also buy Debenhams goods to sell in their own department stores (as well as operating full-line Debenhams franchise stores).
Bahrain
Cyprus
- Larnaka, Ermes Zenon
- Limassol, Ermes Apollon
- Limassol, Ermes Olympia
- Nicosia
- Nicosia, Ermes Central
- Nicosia, Ermes Ledra
- Pafos, Ermes Kinyras
- Pafos, Ermes Korivos
Czech Republic
Denmark
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
- Jakarta, Mal Kelapa Gading, Sogo Mal Kelapa Gading
- Jakarta, Plaza Indonesia (formerly the west wing of Sogo Plaza Indonesia)
- Jakarta, Plaza Senayan, Sogo Plaza Senayan
- Jakarta, Senayan City
- Medan, Sun Plaza, Sogo Sun Plaza
- Surabaya, Tunjungan Plaza, Sogo Tunjungan Plaza
Kuwait
Malaysia
A Debenhams was opened at Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur. It was closed in 2006.
Philippines
- Makati City, Glorietta 4, Rustans Department Store
- Mandaluyong City, Shangri-La Plaza Mall
- Quezon City, TriNoma
Qatar
Republic of Ireland
Unlike other international locations, all Republic of Ireland stores are directly operated by Debenhams plc under the company name Debenham Retail (Ireland) Ltd. The premises of the former Roches Stores are leased from the Roche family.
- Blackrock (formerly Roches Stores Blackrock)
- Blanchardstown (formerly Roches Stores Blanchardstown)
- Cork, Mahon Point
- Cork, St. Patrick's Street (formerly Roches Stores)
- Dublin, Jervis Shopping Centre (first Debenhams store in the Republic of Ireland)
- Dublin, Henry Street (formerly Roches Stores Dublin)
- Galway (formerly Roches Stores Galway)
- Limerick (formerly Roches Stores Limerick)
- Newbridge
- The Square, Tallaght (formerly Roches Stores Tallaght)
- Tralee (formerly Roches Stores Tralee)
- Waterford (formerly Roches Stores Waterford)
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Sweden
A Debenhams was opened in central Stockholm in 2002. It was closed in January 2007, however, due to the difficulties of competing with the local department stores PUB and Åhléns. [1]
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
References
External links
Official websites: