On the first floor of Debenhams in Staines-upon-Thames, Ellie Wickham is perching different fascinators on the side of her head and texting the photographs to her mum for approval for a forthcoming wedding.
“It’s pleasant but it could do with a facelift,” says Wickham of the tired store.
While some money appears to have been spent sprucing up the store’s ground floor, with cheery Christmas bauble garlands already in place to greet early-bird shoppers, little has been done to brighten the upper floors, with the festive decor gradually tailing off.
On the first floor, where a number of brands including Wallis and Phase Eight are offering big discounts, it is a sea of beige, with dated fixtures reached via a creaking escalator. There is little evidence of the promise made by Debenhams’ boss, Sergio Bucher, to turn the department stores into fun, social places to shop. “There’s not even any music playing,” Wickham points out.
Like many other British high streets, Staines in Surrey is battling to attract shoppers in the internet age. Locals are nostalgic for a time when the thoroughfare was bustling with independents, including the site of the Debenhams store. Kennards, a family-owned department store chain, was acquired by Debenhams in the 1970s.
Debenhams said on Thursday that up to 50 of its 165 stores will close, but it has not identified the locations under threat. Analysts think the brunt of the closures will fall on smaller town centres, like Staines. Many of these towns are unlikely to have another big anchor store, potentially triggering a fresh wave of decline among local retailers.
“There is nothing much else,” says Eileen Dugay, a regular Debenhams shopper. “I’m very sad all the shops are going.”
Michael Heard, on his way home from work in a day centre for adults with special needs, says he had fond memories of Kennards: “I remember when it was Kennards, so when I go in there [Debenhams] now I find it quite depressing. It was really glamorous and had its personal brand for clothing. Debenhams is a bit like Woolworths. It has lost its way.”
Other shoppers pointed to the decision by Waitrose to pull out of the town last year as having a knock-on effect on the number of people visiting the high street. “It has not been busy in Staines since Waitrose closed,” says Pat Langridge, a pensioner. “There is no supermarket here. They are supposed to be investing in Debenhams … but it’s hard to tell.”
