Debenhams
 |
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| Public limited company | |
| Traded as | : |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1778 (by William Clark) 1813 (as Clark & Debenham) |
| Headquarters | 10 Brock Street, London, England, United Kingdom |
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Key people
|
Sir Ian Cheshire (Chairman) Sergio Bucher (CEO) |
| Products | Fashion clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home and furniture, electricals, gifts, toys |
| Revenue | £2,322.7 million (2015) |
| £134.1 million (2015) | |
| £93.5 million (2015) | |
|
Number of employees
|
(2015) |
| Subsidiaries |
Debenhams Ireland Magasin du Nord |
| Website | www |
Debenhams plc is a British multinational retailer operating under a department store format in the United Kingdom and Ireland with franchise stores in other countries. The company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to 178 locations across the UK, Ireland and Denmark. It sells a range of clothing, household items and furniture and has been known since 1993 for its 'Designers at Debenhams' brand range.
Headquartered in Regent's Place in the London Borough of Camden, Debenhams is listed on the and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The company owns the Danish department store chain, Magasin du Nord, and has a subsidiary in Ireland.
The business was formed in 1778 by William Clark, who began trading at 44 Wigmore Street in London as a drapers' store. In 1813, William Debenham became a partner and the corporate name changed to Clark & Debenham. The shop was later renamed Cavendish House and carried drapery, silks, haberdashery, millinery, hosiery, lace and family mourning goods. As the trade grew, the partners determined to expand the business by opening provincial branches in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, and Harrogate, Yorkshire, England.
By 1823, Clark & Debenham had opened a small drapery business at 3 Promenade Rooms, Cheltenham, selling a selection of silks, muslins, shawls, gloves, lace and fancy goods. The new shop flourished. In 1837, Clark retired from the business and Debenham assumed two of his most trusted staff, William Pooley and John Smith, as partners, trading in both London and Cheltenham as Debenham, Pooley & Smith. By 1840, the management of the Cheltenham branch appears to have been given to Clement Freebody, Debenham's brother-in-law. Around 1843, another branch shop was launched in Harrogate.
Extended and refurbished premises opened in Cheltenham in October 1844. Pooley and Smith retired from the business in 1851 when Debenham took his son, William, and Clement Freebody into partnership, trading as Debenham, Son & Freebody. At this time all three shops in London, Cheltenham and Harrogate were trading in similar goods and issued a joint catalogue, called the Fashion Book, that was the basis of an extensive mail-order trade. In 1876 when Freebody retired, a new partnership, Debenham & Hewitt, was formed. George Hewitt appears to have worked at the Cheltenham store as a draper's assistant during the early 1860s but details of his subsequent career are not known. By 1883, George Hewitt was the sole owner of the Cheltenham business, Frank and William Debenham having withdrawn to manage the London store as a separate concern.
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Wikipedia