The last remaining Debenhams are closing their doors on Saturday, more than 240 years after the department store began trading. Shoppers have flocked to the last remaining outlets to pick up bargains in closing-down sales. But the last 28 stores will now be shuttered for good. The Debenhams brand will continue to trade online after it was bought by the fashion retailer Boohoo for £55m in January. At its height, there were more than 150 Debenhams stores across the UK, but the chain went into administration in 2019 after several years of falling sales. The pandemic was the final blow. In December, its owners announced the business was being wound down with 12,000 job losses. Debenhams traces its roots back to 1778 when William Clark opened a shop in London's West End, selling fabrics, bonnets and parasols. By the 1950s, it was the biggest department store in the UK with 110 sites. However, in recent years, the shift to online shopping ate into sales and the business floundered. It was put up for sale last year, but in the end, the brand will survive online as part of the internet-only fashion firm Boohoo.
