Debenhams says it plans to close its Burnley distribution centre, with 1200 jobs at risk.
As we reported earlier this week, the company is exploring a potential sale of Pretty Little Thing and assessing options for its Lancashire distribution centre to align with a “stock-lite” strategy.
That came after the group, previously Boohoo, saw its revenues fall 12% to £790.3m.
READ MORE – Debenhams Group mulls PrettyLittleThing sale as revenues plummet
Debenhams has now revealed that it is proposing to close the operation in Burnley entirely and “gradually transfer” its online distribution to an existing site in Sheffield.
Local MPs have called the news “devastating”
READ MORE – PrettyLittleThing to create 1200 jobs in Sheffield
A Debenhams Group spokesperson said:
“Following a strategic review, we are proposing the potential closure of our Burnley distribution centre in early 2026, with operations gradually transferring to Sheffield, which could offer greater capacity and efficiencies.
“This is not a proposal we put forward lightly, but we believe it may be important for the long-term health of the business and for delivering our new strategy.”
Boohoo set up its 600,000 sq ft ecommerce operation in Sheffield in 2018. 6 years later, it announced that it was closing its Pennsylvania warehouse in the United States and instead would fulfil all its orders from the Yorkshire base.
