Debenhams began as a draper business at 44 Wigmore Street in London 1778.
Initially founded by William Clark, William Debenham became a partner in the business in 1813 and changed the name to Clark & Debenham.
The business grew, opening branches in Cheltenham and Harrogate, before Clark retired in 1837 and it became Debenham, Pooley & Smith.
In 1851, it became Debenham & Freebody after Clement Freebody invested in the firm and it opened offices in South Africa, Australia, Canada and China.
It was incorporated as Debenhams Limited in 1905 and its new headquarters was completed in 1908 in west London’s Wigmore Street.
Shoppers are seen charging through the doors of one Debenhams department store on the first day of a sale
The company began buying existing department stores across the country, including Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge in 1920.
Debenhams was listed as a company on the London stock exchange for the first time in 1928 and by 1950 became the largest department store group in the UK.
At the time it owned 84 companies and 110 stores and in 1976 it acquired Brown’s of Chester.
This was the only store to retain its name when all the other company’s stores were rebranded Debenhams in 1977.
Debenhams stores were targeted by the Animal Liberation Front three times in the 1980s because of the sale of animal furs, which was stopped by the company as a result.
Two members of the movement were jailed for planting fire bombs in the Harrow, Romford, and Luton stores, causing more than £8million of damage.
Shoppers are seen rushing into a Debenhams store in London’s Soho at the first day of sales in 1977
In 2012, Green MP Caroline Lucas alleged an undercover police officer planted the bomb in the Harrow branch, causing an investigation in 2016.
The company merged with the Burton Group in 1985 but demerged in 1998.
Belinda Earl became CEO in 2000 and Debenhams opened its largest British store in Birmingham’s Bull Ring in 2003.
In 2009, the company bought Principles after it went into administration and it acquired Magasin Du Nord in the same year.
Debenhams’s pre-tax profits dropped from £115million to £85million in 2013 and CFO Sim Herrick resigned in 2014 after being criticised for financial decisions.
Sports Direct bought 4.6 per cent of Debenhams shares in January 2014, and Mike Ashley secured 21 per cent of the company in August 2017.
In March 2018, Debenhams reduced 320 store management roles across the business and Sports Direct’s shares increased to 29.7 per cent.
The company announced its largest ever pre-tax loss of £491million in 2018 and the closure of up to 50 stores putting 4,000 jobs at risk.
It went into pre-pack administration on April 9, 2019, and on April 26 of the, Debenhams announced it would close a further 22 stores after Christmas.
The company fell into the hands of its lenders, a group of banks and hedge funds led by US firm Silver Point Capital.
By Joe Davies