Debenhams UK goes into administration - but store in Whitewater Shopping Centre not affected

Debenhams' lenders took control of the ailing retailer today after it went into administration in the UK. A spokesperson for Debenhams said its 11 shops in the Republic of Ireland including in Whitewater Shopping Centre in Newbridge are not affected by today's developments as they are a separate operation. Debenhams Retail Ireland Ltd exited examinership in 2016, having entered the process after it said that high rents at its Irish outlets were making its business here unsustainable. It has a number of shops in Dublin as well as Newbridge, Galway, Limerick, Tralee, Cork and Waterford. Debenhams also has five shops in Northern Ireland and it is not yet known if they are among the 50 stores that the company said they will close by 2020. Once the biggest department store chain in the UK, Debenhams had been hit by a sharp slowdown in sales, high rents and ballooning debt. While Debenhams stores will keep trading, the administrators said they would push ahead with a plan to close about 50 under-performing stores and demand rent cuts, moves it said were "critical" to its survival. The plan puts about 4,000 jobs at risk. The administration is another blow to a retail sector already reeling from the collapse of BHS, electronics firm Maplin, department store House of Fraser and cycle shop Evans. Debenhans chairman Terry Duddy said: "However, this transaction will allow Debenhams to continue trading as normal; access the funding we need; and proceed with executing our turnaround plans, whilst deleveraging the group's balance sheet."   Despite its long history, Debenhams has been battling for survival after a consumer shift online and to cheaper outlets left it with too much retail space on struggling high streets.