Debenhams announces when Portsmouth shop will reopen

The retailer will open 50 of its stores in England on Monday, June 15.

It comes after the government announced that non-essential shops could reopen in mid-June, provided it was safe to do so.

Steven Cook, managing director at Debenhams, said: ‘We are delighted to be welcoming customers back to our stores in the coming weeks.

‘From the installation of Perspex screens at till points to the roll-out of social distancing procedures and PPE, we have been working hard to ensure our colleagues and customers can work and shop with confidence.

‘Our reopening plans follow the successful conclusion of lease negotiations on 120 stores, meaning that the vast majority of our stores will be reopening.’

The Debenhams store in Commercial Road, Portsmouth, will be among the 50 stores reopening on June 15.

It follows the announcement that Primark will be opening its store in the city centre in mid-June.

SEE ALSO: Primark announces date when Portsmouth store will reopen

Debenhams said it will only reopen 120 stores after a series of closures, having entered the lockdown with 142 stores.

After opening 50 stores on June 15, with the remaining stores following later in the week.

Last month, Debenhams said it will cut hundreds of head office jobs as it looks to drive a turnaround in profitability.

Debenhams was already struggling before the lockdown and fell into administration on April 9 in a protective measure against creditors demanding their money.

Since the coronavirus pandemic shut all non-food retailers, the department store has announced the permanent closure of at least 12 stores, with thousands of job losses.

Full list of stores reopening on June 15:

Barrow

Bath

Bedford

Blackburn

Blackpool

Bournemouth

Bristol

Bromley

Bury

Bury St Edmunds

Cambridge

Chelmsford

Chester

Chesterfield

Colchester

Hanley

Harrogate

Harrow

Hastings

Hemel Hempstead

Hereford

Ilford

Ipswich

Leeds

Lichfield

Lincoln

Liverpool

Luton

Mansfield

Meadowhall

Northampton

Norwich

Oxford

Portsmouth

Redditch

Scarborough

Scunthorpe

Sheffield

Staines

Stevenage

Stockport

Taunton

Torquay

Wakefield

Westwood Cross

Weymouth

Winchester

Worcester

Worthing

York Monks Cross

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.