When department store chain Debenhams went into administration in 2020, the Crisis Management Team (CMT) for Business Archives moved quickly to safeguard its archives – an important record of more than 200 years of retail history.
The collection includes early company diaries, advertisements, store photographs, staff records, and even examples of staff uniforms and own-brand products.
Founded in 1778 as a single shop in London, at its peak Debenhams had department stores in 178 locations worldwide. Its brand and website are now owned by Boohoo.
Debenhams’ archives were saved by an extraordinary cooperative effort across several sectors, including from the Business Archives Council, Geoff Rowley and Alastair Massey (the Administrators) of FRP Advisory and their agents at Hilco.
Collections information was provided by Janice Tullock Associates. Emergency storage for the collection was provided by the South West Heritage Trust, supported by a Records at Risk grant from The National Archives. The collection has now been permanently rehoused at the City of Westminster Archives Centre.
Two case studies detailing the collaborative rescue operation and showcasing highlights from the collection are now published on the Managing Business Archives website. City of Westminster Archives Centre is working towards cataloguing the collection so it can be accessible to researchers.
managingbusinessarchives.co.uk
Bringing the Debenhams Archive to The Nation: Collection Highlights and Future Plans
Highlights and future plans
managingbusinessarchives.co.uk
Collaborating across sectors: saving the Debenhams archive
How the Debenhams archive was saved
We’re delighted that Debenhams history has been saved. This successful collaboration between heritage and insolvency sectors is sending a clear message: keep archives of businesses for future generations, so they are not lost forever.
Dr Michael Anson, Chair of the Business Archives Council
Household brands like Debenhams are an important part of our cultural and economic history, so we’re happy to have played a part in preserving this historic material. We hope it will offer lasting value to researchers, historians and the wider public.
The Administrators