THE Winchester branch of Debenhams has avoided the latest round of cuts as the High Street battles for survival.
The chain today announced 19 store closures including its store in Southsea.
It says the closures are needed for a rescue plan announced last year and up to 50 are set to close. It has around 160 shops across the UK.
Debenhams has stores in Southampton, Portsmouth and Fareham.
The Winchester branch has been on the High Street for decades and was previously called Sherriff and Ward.
Chief executive Stefaan Vansteenkiste is reported to have said: “We are working hard to implement the transformation of Debenhams. Despite a challenging retail environment, thanks to our colleagues’ hard work and our investor group’s commitment we are progressing with our turnaround.”
The Southsea branch will close on January 19.
An estimated 140,000 jobs have been lost in 2019 because of store closures as customers switch to online shopping.
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