Business case #4: Debenhams and Topshop buyouts

Who doesn’t remember a trip to Oxford Street to check on the competition or just feel the consumption frenzy? Well, the Oxford Street and the high street we used to know will not be the same anymore. Debenhams and Topshop collapses are a brutal reminder of department stores and clothing chains struggle, private equity mismanagement, lack of strategy and then Covid-19 dramatically speeding up the process. Even though the brick-and-mortar shutdowns trend is global and rampant, we might find ourselves at a turning point, especially in the United Kingdom, with Boohoo and Asos buying bits of Debenhams and Topshop.
What has happened to the famous British retailers? What are Boohoo and Asos’s buying strategies aiming at? Are Debenhams and Topshop buyouts specific business cases? Is there a new pattern to be observed?

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article  from the IADS members-only newsletter date 17 February 2021.