Staff at Debenhams in Harrogate face anxious futures in the wake of today’s news that the company is due to be wound-up.

Debenhams employs 12,000 staff overall and its department store on Parliament Street in Harrogate has been a local shopping institution.

Debenhams confirmed its Harrogate store will reopen tomorrow. All stores are due to continue trading until stock is cleared.

But the outlook is bleak for staff as the festive season approaches.

The retail giant, which was founded 242 years ago, has been in administration since April. The collapse of a possible deal with JD Sports means the business is now set to enter liquidation.

Many High Street stores were struggling even before the pandemic. The retail group Arcadia announced yesterday it had entered administration, and shops will be desperate for a Christmas boost when they re-open tomorrow.

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The future of Harrogate’s Jaeger store is uncertain after the company entered administration today.

Parent company Edinburgh Woollen Mill has so far failed to find a buyer for Jaeger and its sister company Peacocks.

The two companies, which between them have 4,700 staff and almost 500 stores, have both gone into administration.

No redundancies or store closures have been announced yet.

At the end of last month, ‘closing down sale’ notices were displayed on the Harrogate shop front window in Cambridge Crescent.

Today’s announcement is another example of the devastating impact of the pandemic on high street retail. Local businesses had warned of the impact of a second lockdown.

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Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Homes also went into administration this month. Both had shops on Ripon high street. They also belong to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill group.

Jaeger had not replied to the Stray Ferret by the time of publication.

Debenhams could be missing from Harrogate town centre once it re-opens following the coronavirus crisis, after the national chain filed for administration.

It is the second time that the company has called in administrators, and it said the move was designed to get it through the current challenges in order to re-open stores once restrictions are lifted.

However, it is unclear how many and which of its branches will re-open, with 50 permanent store closures already announced. One Harrogate business leader said he was unsurprised by the news, as the chain had been in trouble for some time, and he did not expect the Harrogate store to re-open.

Bob Kennedy, chairman of Harrogate BID, said: “I’m sure there will be a Debenhams that comes out of administration. I would be very surprised if the Harrogate store was part of their plans.”

Mr Kennedy said he felt it was more likely the building would be split into smaller retail units on the ground floor and residential above. Such a large building was not likely to be appealing to many retailers, he said, as changes on the high street continue to affect brands’ needs.

The size of the Debenhams store makes it unlikely to appeal to a single retailer, according to Bob Kennedy

Regarding the pressures on other town centre businesses while the coronavirus continues, Mr Kennedy said the BID is doing all it can to ensure they make a strong start once trading is possible again.

“While nothing can be done physically at the moment, the board members are trying to put things in place so when we do all get re-open we are in the best possible position to try and catch up on some trade we’ve lost,” he said.

 “One of the main priorities is to make sure the town has had a good deep clean. Then to focus on the autumn and the run up to Christmas and making sure we try to have plans in place to make that as good as it can possibly be.

“For all these businesses that have lost an absolute fortune, hopefully it’s a chance to catch up and pull at least some money back.”