Closure of Debenhams in Scarborough going to hit very hard
Scarborough Business Ambassadors have been giving their reaction to the news Debenhams in Scarborough is to close permanently.
Last updated 26th Jan 2021
There has been more reaction to the news Debenhams in Scarborough is to close permanently.
We told you yesterday that the collapsed company had been bought by online fashion retailer, Boohoo, who wants to re-brand Debenhams as online only.
Simon Bull, Director at Scarborough Business Ambassadors, said:
"Back in December, there was still hope that somebody would come along and buy the whole lot as a going concern or out of administration or whatever. But with Boohoo buying it a brand-only, it's going to hit the Brunswick Centre and the town centre very hard.
"There is a long term solution which is the high street has to be re-designed to make it much more of a destination, make it much more of a place where people go for an experience. Clearly big stores don't necessarily do that.
"It's very, very difficult to see how we might attract a big store to fill that space. So in the meantime, we're going to be left with a bit of an empty building. Now how you get small businesses in there or how you find a bigger business is a challenge. It's difficult.
"I suppose a Primark would certainly bring footfall to the town and we could attract one there and I know it's been tried before, it's always worth trying again. I also know that we have a very good and active town centre team who are looking into all of this all the time and I know there's a fund to develop high streets.
"Whatever happens in the short term with this building, is going to depend on creating a destination and an experience; so somewhere people want to go for a nice afternoon or a nice day out. The likes of which are very hard to get online."
Sue Anderson Brown, centre manager for the Brunswick Shopping Centre, said:
“We are saddened at the recent announcement by Debenhams. We will be working closely with the retailer over the coming weeks to finalise next steps for its stores in the Brunswick Shopping Centre and will provide further updates when possible.
“This national news reflects the wider challenges facing retailers across the country and we will continue to support our stores during this period.”