Debenhams preparing to launch division for premium brands

Fashion retailer Debenhams is understood to be preparing for the launch of a new division on its website dedicated to premium brands.

The Boohoo Group-owned company has set about repositioning itself as a digital department store, expanding its third-party brand offering across beauty, fashion and homeware.

Now it seems the retailer is set to continue this growth with the addition of a new premium fashion division, which according to Drapers will launch later this year.

In a statement to the media outlet, Debenhams CEO Dan Finley said: “With premium brands, they will have an elevated presence [on our website] and we want to be the extension of their direct-to-consumer strategy.”

Finley added that the addition was part of the company’s plan to become the “great British digital department store”.

He continued: "The great thing about Debenhams is that it’s a marketplace-led and commission-based business. We are not own-brand-first. We have to showcase and sell brands at their best and it has to be win-win because we don’t make commission if we don’t sell the brands.

"So we are focused on building our proposition to the consumer, principally focused on fashion, home and beauty, with a combination of everyday brands and premium brands. We want to build it back bigger, bolder and better as the great British digital department store."