03/28/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

Hope for long-term future of Debenhams Swansea

IT was more trickle than a torrent, but customers are back spending money again at Debenhams in Swansea after council chiefs stepped in to prevent it from closing permanently.

The anchor store at Quadrant Shopping Centre won’t be liable for business rates until next year in a move engineered by the city’s Labour administration.

Customers are counted and greeted as they enter via the main front entrance, and offered hand sanitiser to minimise the risk of catching or passing on the coronavirus.

There are signs reminding shoppers to keep two metres apart, cleaners move around wiping down surfaces, staff wear protective equipment, dedicated refund tills have been created, and the customer restaurant and toilets are closed.

Around 60 of the store’s 100 staff are back – excluding the cosmetics assistants – on staggered shifts.

They came back last week for a safety briefing and to see the altered layout.

For store manager Tina Evans, opening the doors to customers felt significant.

“It’s just amazing to be back,” she said. “Everybody is so positive.

“There was a tiny bit of apprehension, but when our staff saw the measures in place they felt really confident.

“And it’s great to see our regular customers.”

No more than 350 shoppers are allowed in at any one time but they are free to go where they want, as long as they maintain social distancing.

For shopper Vivienne Moore, of Dunvant, it was great to have a nose around.

“Wonderful,” she said. “I just came to have a look round and see what I could spend my money on.

“I talked to the staff – having a laugh and a bit of banter.”

Large buildings like the Debenhams store have to be maintained, and one of Mrs Evans’s jobs during lockdown was to flush the store’s numerous toilets three times in a row, twice a week.

“It took a couple of hours,” she said.

Sales director Ty Edwards said: “Safety is vital, but we want customers to enjoy it.

“We’ve tried to go above and beyond.”

Departing customers leave via the rear entrance – and anyone wanting make-up done on the ground floor will, for now, only have the option of a tutorial.

Both Mr Edwards and Mrs Evans thanked the council for its support.

It came after the retailer warned it could close big stores for good in Wales because they did not qualify for emergency business rates relief, based on their large rateable value.

That prompted Swansea’s Liberal Democrat opposition group to launch a petition urging the Welsh Government to alter the emergency business rates relief scheme. It has been signed by nearly 6,000 people.

Councils collect business rates but the money itself goes to a central pot in Wales, which is then shared back out to local authorities.

Rob Stewart, the leader of Swansea Council, said: “As Swansea’s only anchor store, Debenhams is really important to the economy and viability of the city centre.

“Where Debenhams bases itself, many other businesses come.”

It was important for the council, he said, to come to an agreement to help ensure its long-term future in the city.

Like many retailers, Debenhams has been facing significant headaches.

In April the firm went into administration for the second time in a year, but management remained in place while costs were cut and fresh investment found.

A total of 20 stores won’t be reopening, but 124 are – and the company still employs more than 15,000 staff.

It is understood that the Swansea store is a strong performer.

Swansea Lib-Dems said they welcomed a decision by the Senedd Petitions Committee on June 23 to seek more information from Welsh ministers on talks to keep Debenhams’ stores open, and to ask for a debate on this issue.

The party’s leader in Swansea, Cllr Chris Holley, said: “There is every reason to believe that if Debenhams reopens in Swansea in more normal times then it will survive. It is one of their most successful stores.”

On a Wales-wide level, he added: “There are a lot of jobs at stake here, as well as the future viability of many shopping centres, already in trouble because of the Covid-19 lockdown, and not all the people at risk of losing their jobs work for Debenhams.”

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