Debenhams plc

Type	Public limited company
Traded as	LSE: DEB
Industry	Retailing
Founded	1778
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Key people	Nigel Northridge (Chairman) Michael Sharp (CEO)
Products	Fashion clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home & furniture, electricals, gifts, toys
Revenue	£2,209.8 million (2011)[1]
Operating income	£183.7 million (2011)[1]
Net income	£117.2 million (2011)[1]
Employees	29,000 (2012)[2]
Website	www.debenhams.com

Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to approximately 160 locations. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History[link]

The business was formed in 1778 by Messrs Flint and Clark, who began trading at 44 Wigmore Street in London as a drapers' store under the name Flint & Clark.^[3] In 1813, William Debenham became a partner and the corporate name changed to Clark and Debenham. In 1818, the company opened a second store in Cheltenham and in 1851, Clement Freebody became a partner so the name changed again to Debenham & Freebody.^[4] The business was incorporated as Debenhams Limited in 1905.^[5]

Debenhams on Briggate in Leeds.

Old Debenhams, Bangor, north Wales

The modern Debenhams group grew from the acquisition of department stores in towns and cities throughout the UK, under the leadership of its Chairman, Ernest Debenham. The first of these purchases, Marshall & Snelgrove at Oxford Street in London, was acquired in 1919. Later purchases included Harvey Nichols in London's Knightsbridge in 1920.^[4] Most stores acquired retained their former identities until a unified corporate image was rolled out across the stores. The company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1928.

In 1976, the company acquired Browns of Chester. It is the only store that has retained a separate identity.^[4]

In 1985, the company was acquired by the Burton Group.^[4] Debenhams demerged in 1998 and was once again listed as a separate company on the London Stock Exchange.^[4] It expanded under the leadership of Belinda Earl who was appointed CEO in 2000.^[6]

On 4 September 2003, Debenhams opened its largest British store at the new Bull Ring shopping centre in Birmingham.^[7] The new store contains 19,230 sq m and opened 20 years after the company closed its Birmingham city centre store due to declining trade.^[8] Following the closure of the store in Dudley in January 1981 and the Birmingham store in 1983, the company's only store in the West Midlands for the next six years was a town centre store in Walsall. On 4 November 1989, it was opened a store at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Brierley Hill.

A private consortium named Baroness Retail Limited acquired the company in late 2003 and it returned to a listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2006.^[4] The consortium comprises CVC Capital Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity and management.

In November 2009, the Company acquired the Danish department store group Magasin Du Nord.^[9]

In October 2010, the company launched its first iPhone app that allows customers to shop the online range and scan product barcodes in store. It added apps for other types of phones in March 2011^[10] and in September 2011 expanded to add apps for virtually all smartphones.^[11]

Operations[link]

As of January 2012, the company operates 167 stores (including 13 'Desire by Debenhams' stores)^[2] covering 1.2m sq.m. of retail space across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.^[12] It also has 61 franchise stores operating in other countries, including the Philippines. Debenhams is set to open a 27,000 sq.m. store in Karachi, in April 2012.^[13]

In 2008, the company was voted best UK department store by GMTV.^[14]

Stores[link]

Crypt Chambers in Chester houses part of the Browns of Chester store and is a Grade I listed building

Entrance to Browns of Chester, Eastgate Street, Chester

Debenhams occupies the most sites of any of the traditional department store groups in the UK. The majority of the original trading names of the stores, in each of their respective locations, were replaced with the 'Debenhams' name during the 1970s. All department stores in the group now trade as 'Debenhams' except Browns in Chester. New stores are usually located within wider town and regional shopping centre developments. Stores amalgamated into the group include:

• Allders (Portsmouth)
• Bobbys (Bournemouth, Eastbourne, Exeter, Torquay etc.)
• Browns of Chester (Bangor, Chester)
• Curl Brothers (Norwich)
• Elliston & Cavell (Oxford)
• Griffin & Spalding (Nottingham)
• Handleys (Southsea)
• Jermyns (Kings Lynn)
• Jones (Bristol)
• Edwin Jones (Southampton)
• Kennards (Croydon)
• Lewis's (Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent)
• Marshall & Snelgrove (Oxford Street, London, etc.)
• Owen Owen (Crawley)
• Pauldens (Manchester, Sheffield)
• Pendleburys (Wigan)
• Mathias Robinson (Leeds, Stockton-on-Tees)
• Spooners (Plymouth)
• Thornton Varley (Kingston-upon-Hull)

Products[link]

The company introduced 'Designers at Debenhams' in 1993,^[15] the revolutionary idea put designer names at high street prices, the creation of Belinda Earle and Spencer Hawken the brands include Jasper Conran, John Rocha, Betty Jackson Black, Butterfly by Matthew Williamson, H! by Henry Holland, Star By Julien Macdonald, Frost French, Erickson Beamon, Eric Van Peterson, Janet Reger, Pip Hackett, Melissa Odabash, Ted Baker, St George by Duffer, Jeff Banks and Ben De Lisi. The company also sells goods under a number of brand names that it owns.

In October 2010, Debenhams announced the launch of four new designer names to its fashion range; Jonathan Saunders, Preen, Jonathan Kelsey and Roksanda Ilincic, who will be working with the retailer on a new concept called Edition.^[16]

International stores[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Debenhams

• Debenhams
• Debenhams plc

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2011)

Jimmy Choo, OBE, born Choo Yeang Keat, (Chinese: 周仰杰; pinyin: Zhōu Yǎngjié)^[1] is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its handmade women's shoes.

Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia, into a family of shoemakers, who are of Chinese Hakka^[2] descent. His family name is Chow but was misspelled on his birth certificate as Choo. He made his first shoe when he was 11 years old. He is perhaps the most notable of students of Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney, England, from which he graduated in 1983. (The college is now part of the London College of Fashion at University of the Arts London.) Choo has divulged that he worked part time at restaurants and as a cleaner at a shoe factory to help fund his college education.

Jimmy Choo traced his beginnings back to his workshop in Hackney, North London, which he opened in 1986 by renting an old hospital building. His craftsmanship and designs were soon noticed and he came to the verge of international notability when his creations were featured in a record eight pages in a 1988 issue of Vogue. Patronage from Diana, Princess of Wales, from 1990 further boosted his image.

In 1996, he co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd with British Vogue magazine accessories editor Tamara Mellon.

In April 2001, Choo sold his 50% stake in the company for £10 million. He has since concentrated his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line produced under license from Jimmy Choo Ltd. The Jimmy Choo London line, also known as Jimmy Choo Ready-To-Wear or, simply, Jimmy Choo, is under the purview of Mellon. The ready-to-wear line has expanded to include accessories such as handbags.

Kavita Sidhu, Jimmy Choo, a local businessman, Andrea Fonseka and Amber Chia

Choo lives in London and is currently involved in a project to set up a shoemaking institute in Malaysia, where his iconic status is often evoked to inspire budding shoemakers and fashion designers. Jimmy Choo Ltd. produces some of the most expensive high-end shoes.

Awards[link]

• 2000: Bestowed a state award carrying the title of Dato' by the Sultan of Pahang state in Malaysia for his achievements
• 2002: Conferred an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in recognition of his services to the shoe and fashion industry in the UK.
• 2004: Awarded the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of his home state of Penang, which also carries the title Dato'^[3]
• 2009: Awarded an Honorary Fellowship by University of the Arts London ^[4]
• 2011: Winner of “The World’s Outstanding Chinese Designer 2011” Design for Asia Award
• 2012: Received You Bring Charm to the World – World’s Most Influential Chinese Award
• Awarded an honorary doctorate in art in July 2004 by De Montfort University, Leicester, U.K., for his contribution to their unique Single Honours Footwear Design degree

References[link]

External links[link]

• jimmychoo.com
• Jimmy Choo designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Jimmy Choo Bio at FashionVue
• Jimmy Choo Bio
• How Jimmy Choo 'lost' his name
• London College of Fashion Alumni Interview

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