Debenhams will reopen its stores for an "incredible" closing down sale when non-essential shops are given the green light to welcome back cusomers on April 12. 

High streets will receive a welcome boost on Monday as non-essential shops will once again be allowed to open their doors to shoppers as part of Boris Johnson’s road map out of lockdown.

The stores will reopen in line with government guidance, and will only trade until all stock is cleared.

In a statement, the company said it will begin to permanently close the stores from 2 May, and will expect all stock to be cleared and stores closed by 15 May.

In a statement, Debenhams said the closing down sale would offer “incredible limited-time bargains”, with savings of up to 70 per cent on fashion and home products, and 50 per cent off on beauty and fragrance lines.

The downfall of Debenhams

Debenhams was founded in London in the 18th century, and grew from a single store to more than 170 locations at the company’s peak.

However in recent years the decline of high street shopping made Debenhams large prime-location retail stores less and less viable.

The company entered administration in April 2019 and again a year later, and was finally bought out by Boohoo in January 2021 after entering liquidation.

The online fashion retailer purchased the Debenhams brand and website for £55m, meaning all existing stores will close, with around 12,000 jobs at risk.

What to expect in the sale

A spokesperson for Debenhams said: “This is the last chance for customers in England and Wales to visit their local Debenhams before sadly our stores close for good. We will be reopening with a fantastic range of offers and discounts across all of our customers’ favourite brands and products.

“Stocks are limited and expected to sell out quickly so customers should visit their nearest store quickly to avoid disappointment. We are very grateful for the efforts of our staff who have worked so hard throughout the most difficult of circumstances to keep the business trading”.

These are the locations of Debenhams stores in England and Wales which will reopen on 12 April for a final closing down sale.

England:

Banbury
Barrow
Basildon
Basingstoke
Bath
Bedford
Beverley
Birmingham
Blackburn
Blackpool
Bolton
Bournemouth
Bradford
Brighton
Bristol
Bromley
Bury
Bury St Edmunds
Cambridge
Carlisle
Chelmsford
Cheshire Oaks
Chester
Chesterfield
Colchester
Coventry
Crawley
Derby
Doncaster
Exeter
Fareham
Gloucester
Gravesend
Guildford
Hanley
Harrow
Hastings
Hemel
Hereford
Hounslow
Hull
Ilford
Ipswich
Lakeside
Leeds
Lichfield
Lincoln
Liverpool
Luton
Manchester
Mansfield
Meadowhall
Merryhill
Middlesbrough
Newbury
Newcastle
Northampton
Norwich
Nottingham
Nuneaton
Oldham
Plymouth
Preston
Redditch
Romford
Scarborough
Scunthorpe
Sheffield
Southend
Stevenage
Stockport
Sunderland
Sutton
Taunton
Telford
Torquay
Trafford Centre
Uxbridge
Wakefield
Walsall
Warrington
Westwood Cross
White Rose
Wigan
Winchester
Woking
Workington
Worthing
York Monks Cross

Wales:

Bangor
Cardiff
Carmarthen
Llandudno
Llanelli
Newport
Swansea
Wrexham