DEBENHAMS : EXPANDS PORTFOLIO OF CONCESSION BRANDS

Debenhams is to broaden its food and clothing brand offering with a range of new partnerships to be introduced during the second half of 2015; including food brands Insomnia Coffee, Chi Kitchen, Patisserie Valerie and Joe & the Juice.

The activity comes in addition to the opening of five new stores this autumn - in Rugby, Wandsworth, Beverley, Bradford and Newport - and extensive refurbishment work in two current stores, Debenhams Birmingham and Westfield London. These new and refitted stores will contain a number of brands new to Debenhams, some of which are also new to the UK department store market.

Exclusive Pan-Asian dining experience Chi Kitchen will partner with a high street department store for the first time when introduced to two Debenhams stores this year, including the newly refurbished Birmingham Bull Ring store. Luxury patisserie and continental café Patisserie Valerie will also be introduced to the Debenhams portfolio, opening in six stores, including the brand new Debenhams in Beverley, Wandsworth and Newport, whilst UK-favourite Costa will open in an additional ten stores by the end of the year.

Following a successful partnership with the Debenhams-owned Magasin department store chain in Denmark; healthy lifestyle café Joe & the Juice will be rolled out to three UK stores this year: Clapham Junction, the Trafford Centre and Manchester City Centre. Irish coffee connoisseurs, Insomnia Coffee, will make their English debut, opening two additional concessions in the UK in AW15, following an initial launch in the Cork store earlier this year.

Enhancing Debenhams' food offer is an important part of the brand's successful space optimisation activity alongside new concessions from high street brands Sports Direct, Monsoon and BHS Lighting to name a few.

Customers looking for fashion will have some exciting new choices next season, with Debenhams offering the first and only UK concessions of Danish youth fashion and denim brand Only; launched in spring 15; and adding an additional 15 concessions in the autumn.

Also new to Debenhams' portfolio this year, are the new plus size offering from Phase 8, Studio 8; and the extension of urban menswear brand Jack & Jones, which launched in the Oxford Street store earlier this year.

Complementing Debenhams' extensive occasionwear offering, which includes Jenny Packham and Jacques Vert; Monsoon will also open an additional six concessions in AW15, to add to the six already open.

Further, four new Sports Direct concessions will be rolled out to Debenhams stores in the coming months, in addition to a Sports Direct footwear-focused concession in the flagship Oxford Street store.

Debenhams UK Director of Space Planning Mark Jordan says: "The addition of new concessions comes as we extend our successful space optimisation trials and continue to look at new and exciting ways of enhancing the experience for our customers. Broadening our food offer will see a number of fantastic new brands join our portfolio and offer our customers a variety of options for casual dining. For some food brands it will be their first outlet in a town where they do not already have a presence and we are confident that this will be a key footfall driver."

The new concessions and stores will all be open by Christmas 2015.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors

Further detail on the new food and clothing concessions can be found below:

New Debenhams Food Concessions:

-Chi Kitchen: Two concessions to open in AW15 in Birmingham and Oxford Street

-Costa Coffee: Currently available in 10 stores across the UK; an additional 10 will launch this year in locations including Reading, Leicester and Ipswich

-New Irish coffee brand Insomnia Coffee has opened in Cork, Mahon Point, with a further two stores to follow this year in Bradford and Rugby

-Patisserie Valerie: To open in six stores, including Redditch, Hereford, Oxford and the new Debenhams Wandsworth

-Joe & the Juice: Opening in three stores (summer 2015): Trafford Centre (open), Manchester City Centre (25th June) and Clapham Junction (22nd July)

New Debenhams Clothing Concessions:

-Only: 15 new concessions to open in autumn 2015

-Studio 8: To open in 15 stores for AW15

-Jack & Jones: An additional 12 stores in AW15 will be introduced, in addition to the new Jack & Jones trading in Debenhams Oxford Street

-Monsoon: To open in six additional stores for AW15, doubling its current presence

-Sports Direct: Four new concessions to open in July and August 2015, in addition to a footwear-only offering which will be introduced to Debenhams Oxford St in autumn 2015

About Debenhams

Debenhams is a leading international, multi-channel brand with a proud British heritage which trades out of 243 stores across 28 countries. Debenhams gives its customers around the world a unique, differentiated and exclusive mix of own brands, international brands and concessions.

In the UK, Debenhams has a top three market position in womenswear and menswear and a top ten share in childrenswear. It holds the number two market position in premium health and beauty.

Debenhams has been investing in British design for 20 years through its exclusive Designers at Debenhams portfolio of brands. Current designers include Abigail Ahern, Ted Baker, Jeff Banks, Jasper Conran, FrostFrench, Patrick Grant, Henry Holland, Betty Jackson, Ben de Lisi, Todd Lynn, Julien Macdonald, Jenny Packham, Pearce Fionda, Stephen Jones, Preen, Janet Reger, John Rocha, Jonathan Saunders, Ashley Thomas, Eric Van Peterson and Matthew Williamson.