Debenhams launches first brand campaign since joining Boohoo Group

British retailer Debenhams is cementing its new brand direction as a digital-first department store with its first brand campaign since its acquisition by the Boohoo Group in January 2021.

The nationwide, multi-media campaign launches on June 25 to reposition the retailer as a digital-first destination for fashion, beauty and home for the whole family, under the new name Debenhams.com.

The 30-second TV advert features an “everyday family” receiving an online delivery to reflect the wider customer audience of Debenhams.com, adds the retailer, as it looks to drive both new and existing customers to the newly relaunched e-commerce site.

The campaign also showcases the new branding colours, opting for a Tiffany blue, seen across its packaging and the vintage branded van delivering the orders.

There is also an emphasis on showcases its extensive fashion, beauty and home offering, and its multi-brand approach with in-house brands Principles, Red Herring, Maine New England and Mantaray, highlighted alongside brands from across the Boohoo Group portfolio, and beauty and fragrance brands such as Marc Jacobs.

There is also a nod to the retailer’s heritage with the door number -243 representing the number of years since Debenhams was established and vintage advertisements once published by Debenhams are seen in photo frames. The campaign also includes ‘Debs’ the dog, who has even launched her own Instagram account.

Boohoo Group unveils new Debenhams.com branding

Carol Kane, co-founder and executive director at Boohoo, said in a statement: “I’m really thrilled to see the first milestone in Debenhams.com’s journey within the Boohoo Group. We feel this first campaign sets the tone for Debenhams.com and how we see the vision for the brand developing.

“As we go into the summer season, I’m looking forward to seeing the in-house brands grow and find their place within the group, introducing a strong product offering supported with a confident brand DNA you can see coming through from Debenhams.com.”

Debenhams.com brand campaign and TV advert will run for eight weeks across primetime shows such as Love Island, This Morning and Celebrity Gogglebox, as well as on-demand platforms like 4OD and ITV Player.

The Debenhams brand and website was acquired by Boohoo for 55 million pounds in January. At the time, Boohoo chief executive John Little said that the acquisition represented an “exciting strategic opportunity to transform our target addressable market through the creation of an online marketplace that leverages Debenhams high brand awareness and traffic through the development of beauty and fashion partnerships connecting brands with consumers”.

Debenhams isn’t the only retailer that Boohoo has snapped up to strengthen its multi-brand platform, over the last 2 years the group has acquired online womenswear retailer Miss Pap, UK household brands Karen Millen, Coast, Oasis and Warehouse. Most recent acquisitions included Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Burton, and Wallis. Today, the Boohoo Group sells to more than 18 million “ever-growing" active customers globally.