After 240 years, finally Britain’s leading thrift store, Debenhams closed all its branches in Britain last Saturday.
People were seen flooding the last few branches that were still open to seize the opportunity to buy goods at cheap prices in conjunction with the closure of the store.
The Debenhams brand will continue to operate online after being bought by fashion company, Boohoo for 55 million pounds last January.
Previously, Debenhams had over 150 branches across the United Kingdom (UK) but the company had to sell its assets in 2019 after experiencing a decline in terms of sales for several years.
The Covid-19 pandemic that struck caused Debenhams to decide to close all its branches.
Last December, the owners of Debenhams announced as many as 12,000 workers had to be laid off.
After the curfew ended in Britain, a total of 97 branches were reopened to allow the last stock of goods to be sold.
Debenhams was opened in 1778 by William Clark in London’s West End selling fabrics, bonnets and parasols.
By the 1950s, Debenhams was the largest store in the UK with 110 branches.
“Debenhams grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s. Every Friday afternoon, the store is flooded with female factory workers, ”said former employee Glenis Thompson.
