Debenhams

Debenhams

Debenhams Plc is one of the UK's longest continuously operating clothing and goods retailer.

Company facts:

Ð'* Founded in 1778 as Flint and Clark, came to be known as Debenhams in the 20th century.

Ð'* 1st store opened in 1905.

Ð'* Listed its shares Taken over by the Burton Group in 1985, on the LSE in 1928 and traded independently till 1985.

Ð'* Post World War II, the company continued to add new stores, each of which remained independent while grouped together under the Debenhams name. Some stores were positioned as in direct competition with others, which cannibalized sales.

Ð'* By 1985 Debenhams had a portfolio of 65 department stores and owned a number of other companies, including Hamleys, Harvey Nichols and Lotus.

Ð'* In 1997, Debenhams introduced its first international franchise store in the Middle East.

Ð'* Debenhams was demerged from The Burton Group and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1998

Ð'* In 2003, acquired by Baroness Retail Ltd. And was taken private.

Ð'* In 2006, refloated shares at the LSE.

Ð'* Debenhams Plc now owns and operates 126, mainly in England.

Ð'* Its enterprise value is between Ð'Ј2.88bn to Ð'Ј3.15bn.

DESIGNER AT DEBENHAMS:

The company pioneered in innovation by introducing this special range in 1994 exclusively to Debenhams. It has a profile of 25 designers, which includes:

Ð'* J by Jasper Conran

Ð'* John Rocha by John Rocha

Ð'* butterfly by Matthew Williamson

Ð'* John by John Richmond

Ð'* St. George by Duffer

Ð'* star by Julien MacDonald

Ð'* Betty Jackson

Ð'* Thomas Nash

Ð'* Jeff Banks

and many more. The more established designers offer a limited edition collection, in which they use expensive fabrics, materials and embellishments. Some designers' collections have expanded over last Christmas, to home range, childrenswear, wedding gowns etc. Recently, Ted Baker joined the list with a new Baker by Ted Baker childrenswear range which has increased sales at Debenhams.

Own brands:

There are a number of own brands which are mostly for clothing but also feature in areas like home goods and accessories. The company is going on expanding its product offer by introducing new brands and developing existing ones further. These include:

Ð'* Red herring

Ð'* Mantaray

Ð'* Collection

Ð'* Casual club

Ð'* Tiger lily

Ð'* Gorgeous

Ð'* Adore moi

Ð'* Maine new England etc.

Third party brands:

With a good variety of concessions and international brands in-store, Debenhams has made itself a one-stop shop for every age group. They offer products in all categories, and are expanding continuously. They stock Brands like:

Ð'* Nike

Ð'* Addidas

Ð'* Kenzo

Ð'* Coast

Ð'* Topshop

Ð'* Faith

Ð'* Sonneti

Ð'* YSL etc.