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Picture Boohoo, and what do you imagine? Party outfits, and collaborations with reality TV stars is what usually comes to mind when thinking about the fast fashion megalith. So, in a surprising move, the online fashion retailer has just rebranded to Debenhams. But why?
In 2021 Boohoo bought the Debenhams brand after it went into administration the year before. But now Boohoo is struggling amid huge competition from Chinese-founded fast fashion retailer Shein, and is having to change tactics to try and combat slumping sales.
Dan Finley, Boohoo’s chief executive said the company had ‘lost [its] way’. Finley said sales for multiple of its brands including Boohoo, MAN and Pretty Little Thing, have fallen by 21 percent to £947 million. Today Boohoo is worth around £340 million, whereas during its peak the company was worth more than £5 billion.
The firm said taking over Debenhams provided the blueprint for a revival of Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing, praising its technology and lean operating model. That’s why Boohoo is now named Debenhams Group, with immediate effect.
The announcement of Boohoo’s renaming comes just days after Pretty Little Thing (also owned by Boohoo) revealed its heavily teased rebrand, where the brand has moved away from flogging dirt cheap going out clothes, to more expensive ‘quiet luxury’, selling products like trench coats, sharp blazers and structured blouses. However, PLT has come under fire since the relaunch, with shoppers pointing out that even though it now has an elevated price point, the garments are still made using synthetic material.
Will Debenhams stores re-open?
Unfortunately no, the Boohoo rebrand does not mean Debenhams is returning to our high streets.
Finley said: ‘Debenhams is back. The iconic British heritage brand, bought out of administration, has been successfully turned around. Rebuilt for the future and transformed into Britain’s leading online department store.’
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