Huge discounts as Debenhams starts closing down sale in Wolverhampton
Debenhams revealed discounts of up to 70 per cent off as work to wind up the store in Wolverhampton's Mander Centre starts.
Preparations for the arrival of House of Fraser's huge new multi-brand store in Wolverhampton's Mander Centre will begin in the new year.
Tycoon Mike Ashley is launching one of the first Frasers stores in the city, which will feature a mix of his House of Fraser, Flannels, Sports Direct and USC brands.
It will be based in the store currently occupied by Debenhams, which will exit Wolverhampton in the coming weeks and is currently holding a closing-down sale.
Discounts of up to 70 per cent were being advertised on certain lines with up to 30 per cent discounts on clothes and boots inside the store.
The fit-out for its replacement will begin in January with Frasers to open its doors to shoppers in early 2020.
It is thought the various different brands of Mr Ashley's retail empire, from luxury Flannels to budget Sports Direct, will operate on separate floors.
The move will represent a big shake-up for the city centre and will result in House of Fraser leaving the historic Beatties building, bringing an end to more than 140 years of retail history.
After the Mander Centre's owners Benson Elliot announced Wilko would be coming to the shopping centre, the company said "the positive news for West Midlands shoppers will continue in 2020 as, in January, the fit-out begins for one of the UK’s first new Frasers multi-brand store concept stores".
Benson Elliot said the arrival of Frasers would deliver "a huge boost to the customer experience at the heart of the city centre".
The deal is a huge boost for the Mander Centre and will come as a relief to bosses following the blow of losing anchor store Debenhams, which will close in early 2020.
Negotiations are continuing over the future of Beatties with the University of Wolverhampton hopeful of completing a deal for the iconic site over the coming weeks.
Michael Murray, head of elevation at Sports Direct International, which owns House of Fraser, said when the announcement was made: “We are really proud to have secured this retail destination in the heart of Wolverhampton and look forward to bringing our new elevated multi-brand concept to the Mander Centre in 2020.”
