Altrincham Debenhams shuts its doors as part of nationwide high street closures
- Altrincham Debenhams shuts for the final time
- Debenhams plans more closures in 2020 and 2021
- High street stores affected the most
The Debenhams store located on Altrincham town centre’s high street has shut its door for the final time.
The store has been open for more than two decades in the centre of Altrincham, attracting many locals when it first opened, and had been going at a steady rate throughout its tenure at Stamford Quarter.
But trouble started after the company went into administration last year, disappointing store sells across the nation, and the rise of online shoppers meant that store closures were inevitable.
The Altrincham store’s future was sealed when Debenhams announced in April 2019 that it would be one of 22 stores to close in early 2020.
The closures are a plan by the owners of Debenhams to stabilise the future financial situation of the company. More than 1,000 jobs will be lost as a result of the nationwide store closures, and more stores are set to be closed this year and next year.
Regular shoppers in Altrincham high street expressed their disappointment at the closure.
One said “It is really sad. Debenhams are in the history of Britain’s high street, and to see them close is always a sad sight.”
Another added: “We need stores like Debenhams, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer’s, they are the tradition and focal points of our shopping experience.
“I hope the replacement is a shop that will actually be useful for the locals. There are already too many cafes and vape shops on this street, if they add another one it will be a real disappointment for us regulars.”
Trafford council says it is working closely with Stamford Quarter to find a replacement tenant as soon as possible.
Altrincham was named the best high street in England in 2018 at the Great British High Street awards, showing how far the town has come after previously being named the “ghost town” of UK for its number of vacant shops.
The other stores set to close by the end of January 2020 across the country are in Birmingham, Kirkcaldy, Walton-on-Thames, Wandsworth, Wolverhampton, Chatham, Great Yarmouth, Slough, Stockton-on-Tees, Welwyn, Witney, Ashford, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Folkestone, Southport, Southsea and Wimbledon.