BLOW: Debenhams set to close DEPARTMENT store Debenhams in The Market Place Centre Bolton will shut after online fashion retailer Boohoo bought the brand to move it online only in a £55 million deal. The announcement that all stores were to shut was described as a blow for the high street and the staff employed with The Market Place Centre voicing concerns that projects vital to the long term success of Bolton town centre seem to be slowing down. Alison Stewart, Senior Asset Manager at Moorgarth Group Limited which runs Market Place Centre, said: “Today’s news will be a further blow to Debenhams’ staff and to shoppers across the country. It is a great shame to lose a 242 year old brand from Britain’s High Streets. The retail sector is changing at a rapid pace, on both a national and international level, and our high streets and retail centres have been hard hit by the pandemic.