My mum still talks about Debenhams in the present tense sometimes. “I need to pop into Debenhams for some new towels,” she’ll say, before catching herself with a small, sad “Oh” as she remembers. The muscle memory of decades of shopping habits doesn’t disappear overnight, even when the stores themselves do.
When Debenhams closed its doors for good in May 2021 after 243 years of trading, it wasn’t just the loss of 124 department stores from our high streets. It was the disappearance of a retail institution that had been the backbone of many British women’s shopping habits for generations. For women like my mum, Debenhams wasn’t just a shop – it was a reliable friend who’d been there for every life milestone from first bras to wedding lists to grandchildren’s christening outfits.
“I felt genuinely bereft,” admits my aunt Caroline, who at 65 had been shopping at Debenhams since she was a teenager. “It wasn’t the fanciest store, but it was dependable. You knew what you were getting. When I needed a new winter coat or some decent bedding or a birthday present for someone difficult, that was where I went. And now it’s gone, and I’m still not entirely sure where I’m supposed to shop instead.”
This sense of retail displacement has affected millions of women across the UK, particularly those in the 45+ age bracket who formed Debenhams’ core customer base. Unlike younger shoppers who might flit between ASOS, Zara, and smaller online brands, many older women had built their entire shopping routines around the department store model, with Debenhams at its heart.
So where are these women shopping now? I’ve spent the past two months asking everyone from my mum’s book club to my older colleagues about their post-Debenhams shopping habits, and what’s emerged is a fascinating picture of adaptation, exploration, and occasional frustration.
For fashion, the migration has been primarily to Marks & Spencer, which has emerged as perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Debenhams’ demise. “M&S has definitely stepped up,” says Jenny, 58, from Leicester. “Their clothing quality seems better than it was a few years ago, and they’ve got that similar middle ground that Debenhams used to cover – not too trendy, not too dowdy, decent quality without being wildly expensive.”
The numbers back this up – M&S reported significant growth in their clothing sales after Debenhams’ closure, particularly in core categories like lingerie and basics that had been Debenhams staples. Their expansion of well-regarded in-house brands like Autograph and Per Una has helped fill the gap left by Debenhams’ exclusive ranges like The Collection and Star by Julien Macdonald.
John Lewis has also captured a segment of former Debenhams shoppers, though primarily those at the upper end of the market who were already occasional John Lewis customers. “John Lewis feels a bit more special occasion to me,” explains my mother-in-law, Barbara. “I wouldn’t just pop in for tights like I would with Debenhams. It’s somewhere I go when I need something specific and I’m willing to pay a bit more for quality. But they do have that same department store feel that I miss.”
For many women, particularly those outside major cities, the real challenge hasn’t been finding alternatives to specific Debenhams products, but replacing the convenience of having everything under one roof. The department store model offered a one-stop shopping experience that online simply can’t replicate, especially for shoppers who aren’t particularly tech-savvy or who enjoy the social aspect of a shopping trip.
“I used to make a day of it,” says Margaret, 72, from Exeter. “I’d meet my friend for coffee in the Debenhams café, then we’d look at the homeware, maybe try on a few tops, and I’d pick up some new makeup before heading home. Now we meet in Costa instead, but there’s nowhere that offers that same complete experience. We end up walking between lots of different shops, which is harder on the legs at our age.”
The beauty department has been perhaps the most difficult section to replace, particularly for women who valued the opportunity to try products before purchasing. Boots has absorbed some of this market, especially in smaller towns where dedicated beauty retailers like Space NK or Sephora (which has recently returned to the UK) don’t have a presence. But many women mentioned missing the particular mix of brands that Debenhams offered – more premium than Boots but more accessible than department stores like Harrods.
“I always bought my Clinique from Debenhams,” says Karen, 53, from Manchester. “The counters had staff who’d known me for years and knew exactly what I liked. I buy it online now, but it’s not the same as having someone suggest something new or give you a little sample to try.”
For homeware, the picture is more fragmented. Some shoppers have migrated to Dunelm, others to Next Home, and some to supermarket home ranges like Sainsbury’s Home or George at Asda. There’s a sense that while individual alternatives exist for almost everything Debenhams sold, the convenience of finding it all in one place is gone.
The rise of online shopping has obviously accelerated in the wake of Debenhams’ closure, even among demographics who had previously been resistant. Interestingly, it’s often daughters who have guided mothers into new digital shopping habits. “My daughter set me up with ASOS Premier and showed me how to use the filters to find things similar to what I used to buy in Debenhams,” says Lynne, 61, from Cardiff. “I wouldn’t have tried it on my own, but now I order quite regularly, and the free returns make it quite easy.”
The Debenhams website itself has been acquired by Boohoo and relaunched as an online-only business, but the women I spoke to were nearly unanimous in feeling that it’s no longer targeted at them. “I looked once, but it’s all aimed at young people now,” says Janet, 67, from Norwich. “Nothing like the Debenhams I knew.”
The emotional attachment to Debenhams has also made some women reluctant to fully commit to new shopping patterns. Several mentioned still having Debenhams gift cards they hadn’t used before the stores closed, kept almost as souvenirs rather than for their monetary value. Others described still walking past the empty buildings and feeling a twinge of sadness.
In some towns, the physical spaces formerly occupied by Debenhams are gradually being repurposed – transformed into smaller retail units, leisure facilities, or housing. In Bournemouth, the old Debenhams is being redeveloped to include a boutique cinema and restaurants. In Leicester, part of the former store is now a bowling alley. These transformations serve as visible reminders of how retail is evolving, even as shoppers’ habits adapt too.
What’s clear from talking to dozens of former Debenhams loyalists is that no single retailer has managed to fill the specific gap it left – instead, shopping habits have fragmented across multiple stores and websites. This fragmentation isn’t necessarily negative; many women described discovering new brands or shops they might not otherwise have tried.
“I probably spend more time browsing different options now,” admits Pat, 59, from Edinburgh. “Before, I’d have just gone straight to Debenhams without thinking. Now I compare more and probably make better choices, even if it takes a bit longer.”
The legacy of Debenhams, then, might not just be about where women shop now, but how they shop – perhaps more deliberately and with more variety than when default habits could be relied upon. While the convenience of the department store model is missed, there’s also a grudging recognition that its disappearance has pushed many into more diverse shopping experiences.
For retailers looking to capture the Debenhams customer, the message seems clear – it wasn’t just about the products, but about the experience, the reliability, and the sense of being catered to without being intimidated. The retailers who seem to be succeeding with this demographic are those who understand that shopping, for many women of this generation, was as much a social and emotional experience as a transactional one.
As for my mum, she’s gradually building new habits – M&S for clothes, John Lewis for special occasions, Boots for beauty, and yes, some tentative online shopping with my patient guidance. But she still occasionally catches herself thinking “I’ll just pop into Debenhams,” before remembering that her retail faithful friend is no longer there. And judging by the women I’ve spoken to for this piece, she’s far from alone in still feeling that loss.
