Debenhams shuts Scottish stores, won't return for liquidation sales post-lockdown

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 1, 2021

Debenhams is closing its 15 Scottish stores immediately with 647 job losses as a result, its administrator said in an update on the process to wind down the remaining parts of the business that Boohoo didn't buy.

While all of the stores the department store retailer operates across the UK will eventually close, it has been announced that stores in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will reopen for a short period when the lockdown for non-essential retailers ends next month.

The reopening for the chain in much of the UK will allow it to complete it stock liquidation. The British government has announced that non-essential stores will be able to open in England from April 12 (as long as infections and hospitalisations continue to improve). No date has yet been given for the reopenings in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The problem for the chain in Scotland is that stores there won't be able to open until April 26 at the earliest and the country is likely to operate a tier system, which could mean some shops in certain areas might not be able to open while others could.

Debenhams’ administrators said the timing doesn't work for it, hence the decision to shut the stores early.