MORE than 250 staff employed at five Debenhams outlets in Northern Ireland remain in limbo after the struggling department store said it was to close 50 UK stores with the loss of 4,000 jobs.
It came as the chain revealed a stunning half billion pound swing from a £59 million profit in 2017 to an eye-watering £491.5 million loss this year
Debenhams' biggest Northern Ireland store is at CastleCourt in Belfast, and it has other shops in Newry, Craigavon, Derry and Ballymena.
Staff have not yet been informed which stores will face the axe, though it is expected that at least one could go locally.
The company has been affected by a combination of factors including the rise of online shopping, high rents and business rates and a collapse in consumer confidence.
And it adds to a long list of high street retail woes which have hit the likes of Toys R Us, Poundland, House of Fraser, Homebase, Marks & Spencer, Maplin, Carpetright and New Look.
Boss Sergio Bucher said: "It's been a tough year for retail in 2018 and our performance reflects that, so we are taking decisive steps to strengthen Debenhams in a market that remains volatile and challenging.
"We are taking tough decisions on stores where financial performance is likely to deteriorate over time."
The store closures will reduce the Debenhams estate to about 100 and come on top of 10 earmarked earlier this year as Mr Bucher looks to take £130 million of costs out of the business.
But he insisted: "Debenhams remains a strong and trusted brand with 19 million customers shopping with us over the past year.
"And I can promise my 26,000 staff across the UK that we will work very hard to protect as many stores and as many jobs as we can."
