Debenhams has partnered with furniture brand Swoon Editions to bring the latter’s collections into its department stores.

The first concession is set to open in Debenhams’ Westfield White City store later this month.

This will be Swoon’s first permanent concession, after the pureplay has been experimenting with temporary pop-ups across the country.

Swoon chief customer officer Nicki Lynch said shoppers are “increasingly requesting that they want to see our furniture in real life. In an online-only world, it is harder to bring people into your brand in the same way you can with a physical store.”

The partnership forms part of the Debenhams Redesigned strategy and the retailer’s ambitions to expand its presence in the homewares sector.

Earlier this month, Debenhams unveiled a tie-up with furniture and home décor brand Maisons du Monde. 

This is the latest in a number of moves the department store retailer has made to reposition its stores, including entering into talks with co-working office provider WeWork to lease unused space inside its shops.

The initiatives come after Debenhams issued a profit warning due to poor Christmas trading and embarked on a £10m cost-saving plan. 

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