Empty shelves, an abandoned cafe, and NO customers: How British department store Debenhams failed after less than three years in Australia
- Debenhams first store made the move to St. Collins Lane Melbourne in 2017
- It struggled to gain a foothold and was squeezed out by established competitors
- Despite a futuristic strategy it was not easily accessible for a CBD placed store
A major department store that struggled to get a foothold in Australia is set to close after just four years of operating.
UK department store Debenhams made the move to Australia in 2017 when it set up what would be its only outlet at St. Collins Lane in Melbourne.
Since then, the store has faced financial strains due to competition from more-established outlets such as David Jones and Myers.
Debenhams recently announced it was going into administration following a $900m loss.
Debenhams is a popular department store in the U.K. that made the move to Australia in 2017 where it set up what would be its first and only outlet at St. Collins Lane in Melbourne’s CBD (pictured)
Placed on a single floor and close to its rivals, it soon found itself without a reliable customer base.
The store today now contains a sad array of empty shelves, spotted products being run dry and an in-store cafe that has been entirely abandoned.
Pepkor Australia licenced the local outlet and when it was officially opened in 2017 the chief executive Graham Dean said the store would embrace the future of shopping.
This involved app integration such as the ability to arrange for your clothes to be chosen online and then tried on in store.
Placed on a single floor and boldly near it’s rivals, it soon found itself barren of a reliable customer base
‘In bringing Debenhams to Australia, we will distil the best of Debenhams’ expertise into a designer department store whose range is especially curated to suit the Melbourne CBD shopper,’ Mr Dean said at the time.
The franchiser, now known as Greenlit Brands, announced in July its one and only store would be closing in January 2020.
‘I was surprised they even came into the country in the first place,’ retail consultant Brian Walker told the Herald Sun in July.
‘It was a little hard to find and it was relying on being a destination.’
Pepkor Australia licenced the local outlet and when it was officially opened in 2017 the chief executive Graham Dean said it would be a store that would move into the future of shopping
Mr Walker argued that sadly department stores had lost their purpose as a destination for shoppers.
One of the rare shoppers in the store known as Susan said she was initially excited about the store and scored a few bargains initially but her enthusiasm soon faded.
‘It’s not really in a visible area and there’s no phone coverage. I don’t like being uncontactable so I spend as little time here as possible.’
‘It’s Debenhams now but it will be David Jones later. With all the online shopping it’s difficult to see them surviving either.’