Forum Topic

Wandsworth Debenhams on closure list

And the Wimbledon one too.  Debenhams in Wandsworth was the anchor tenant for Southside so will be a loss, and a big unit to fill.Putney is not the only struggling high street.

Alan Sherman ● 2756d10 Comments

Fratricide surely. If you have a big store in Wimbledon, why open one in Wandsworth? Then lose both.

David Ainsworth ● 2756d

Debenhams probably got a very good deal to be the anchor store when Southside was renovated. The store in Wimbledon has been there longer and maybe the rent has risen so that it is no longer profitable.Apart from many consumers now buying online it is noticeable that department stores have fallen out of favour with the public. Even John Lewis is not performing as well as it used to. Most department stores rely on concessions to fill up the space and perhaps those concessions are not making enough money either. Having said that I much prefer wandering into separate shops rather than a store. Perhaps that's just me.

Lucille Grant ● 2756d

Seemed rather predictable that the Wandsworth one would close, the few times I went there they had very few people in there. Don't think I've ever been in the Wimbledon one.

Michael Ixer ● 2756d

Wait until they demolish Wimbledon's Centre Court shopping centre to build Crossrail 2. Many of the shops they lose as a result will probably never come back. Times are certainly changing.

Liam Jones ● 2756d

I may be wrong, but I think a celing in the old Arding & Hobbs store (Clapham Junction Debenhams) is listed. Does anyone know?

Elizabeth Balsom ● 2755d

From the list of the 22 stores closing early next year, Clapham is not mentioned.https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/apr/26/debenhams-to-close-22-stores-full-list

Ivonne Holliday ● 2755d

If you goggle Arding and Hobbs - this comes up - Dec 2018W Real Estate, a London-based developer and asset manager, has acquired the freehold of the Grade II listed ‘Arding and Hobbs’ building in Clapham Junction from British Land for circa GBP48 million.

Jill Johnson ● 2753d

Arding and Hobbs - that's a blast from the past.Some of these old dept stores have managed to survive with concessions in them.  It's good to be able to spend time shopping when you need something and to try several sizes of the same item on rather than ordering online and having the hassle of sending back - which is why we have so much unnecessary wastage as people don't get around to it in time.  Wouldn't it be better to have a day off midweek to be able to get tasks done like the 4 day weeks being tried out in Australia/NZ.  Those companies have better productivity.  We're trapping people in offices and finding that fewer people want to go shopping in a weekend crush.

Philippa Bond ● 2751d

Worth a try. If improves productivity (or at least doesn’t reduce it) and improves quality of life sounds a win-win.

Ruth Pates ● 2751d

Closing the Southside store seems very shortsighted.  The surrounding area is undergoing a lot of development and Southside is very much a hub.  That said, for the moment Debenhams is very quiet, particlarly upstairs.  In any event, we Putney-ites who drive diesels won't be able to go to Southside at all soon for fear of breaching the ULEZ zone!

Roy Robart ● 2745d