High streets and shopping centres across the UK will be hit hard by the closure of Debenhams, whose 124 shops and department stores sit at the heart of many towns and cities.
The company today confirmed that a liquidation process had started, putting 12,000 jobs at risk, after JD Sports pulled out of a rescue deal. It follows yesterday's news that Topshop owner Arcadia was going into administration, in one of the worst weeks on the UK high street.
Debenhams said it would keep trading through its 124 UK stores and online in a bid to clear stock. It said its UK operations would close if there were no alternative offers for the business.
Debenhams also has stores in Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Estonia, Gibraltar, Iran. Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Malaysia, Malta, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Debenhams' UK stores are often among the largest in the towns and cities they serve, and if the stores do all close they will leave big holes in high streets and shopping centres across the UK.
Geoff Rowley, of FRP Advisory, joint administrator to Debenhams, said: “The decision to move forward with a closure programme has been carefully assessed and, while we remain hopeful that alternative proposals for the business may yet be received, we deeply regret that circumstances force us to commence this course of action."
Here are all the UK Debenhams stores affected:
Aberdeen
Ayr
Ballymena
Banbury
Bangor
Barrow
Basildon
Basingstoke
Bath
Bedford
Belfast
Beverley
Birmingham
Blackburn
Blackpool
Bolton
Bournemouth
Bradford
Brighton
Bristol
Broadstairs - Westwood Cross
Bromley
Bury
Bury St Edmunds
Cambridge
Cardiff
Carlisle
Carmarthen
Chelmsford
Cheshire Oaks
Chester - Browns of Chester
Chesterfield
Colchester
Coventry
Crawley
Derby
Doncaster
Dumfries
Dundee
Dunfermline
East Kilbride
Edinburgh
Exeter
Falkirk - Desire
Fareham
Foyleside
Glasgow
Gloucester
Gravesend
Guildford
Hanley
Harrogate
Harrow
Hastings
Hemel Hempstead
Hereford
Hounslow
Hull
Ilford
Inverness
Ipswich
Lakeside
Leeds - Briggate
Leeds - White Rose
Leith
Lichfield
Lincoln
Liverpool
Livingston
Llandudno
Llanelli
London - Oxford Street
Luton
Manchester
Manchester - Trafford Centre
Mansfield
Merry Hill
Middlesbrough
Newbury Parkway
Newcastle
Newport
Newry
Northampton
Norwich
Nottingham
Nuneaton
Oldham
Oxford
Perth
Plymouth
Portsmouth
Preston
Redditch
Romford
Rushmere
Scarborough
Scunthorpe
Sheffield
Sheffield - Meadowhall
Silverburn
Southend
Staines
Stevenage
Stirling
Stockport
Sunderland
Sutton
Swansea
Taunton
Telford
Torquay
Uxbridge
Wakefield
Walsall
Warrington
Weymouth
Wigan
Winchester
Woking
Worcester
Workington
Worthing
Wrexham
York Monks Cross - Desire
