As Arcadia and Debenhams collapse, what will the aftershock mean for retail?

By Grace Bowden, Hugh Radojev, George MacDonald and Rosie Shepard1 December 2020

As December, traditionally the height of retail’s peak trading period begins, two of the industry’s most venerable names have been brought low by the Covid earthquake that has shaken the industry.

The collapse of 207-year-old department store group Debenhams and Topshop-to-Burton fashion giant Arcadia threatens the livelihoods of 25,000 people and raises questions not just about their future, but what that means for the wider industry.

As Arcadia and Debenhams collapse, what will the aftershock mean for retail?

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