Debenhams SWOT & PESTLE Analysis
COMPANY PROFILE -Debenhams
Business Sector :Lifestyle & Retail
Operating Geography :United Kingdom, Europe
About Debenhams :
Debenhams is a London based multi-national brand which was founded in 1778 by William Clark. It has a market cap of £355.09. It offers food services like cafes and restaurants, gifting services, clothing, household products and furniture. It is a pacesetter in high-street beauty wear, occasion wear & accessories. Debenhams offers its customers a wide range of brands consisting of its own brands as well as foreign brands & concessions. Premium brands like Ted Baker, Frost French, H! By Henry Holland, Ben Di Lisi, etc. are being sold in its up market stores. It has dedicated significant amount of investment to design in the last 20 years. It is UK's leading department stores group with a great presence in womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, health and beauty, accessories, lingerie and home. It has around 27,000 employees worldwide that support its 246 stores locations and online presence in over 60 countries serving 19 million customers as of 2017.Debenham's mission is "to make shopping, confidence boosting, sociable and fun”. The Company's USP or unique selling point lies in being a legacy brand with 200 years of operations in multi-brand retail offering differentiated and exclusive mix of private labels and international brands.
Debenhams Revenue :
2,277 Billion GBP - FY ended Sept 31, 2018 (year-on-year growth of 2.5%)
2.342 Billion GBP - FY ended Sept, 2017
Competitive Analysis of Debenhams
1. Sound Financial Performance 2. Steady Strategic progression 3. Developing channels through Partnership 4. Strong Digital Growth | 1. Dip in in-store sales 2. Weak UK market adversely affecting Earnings |
1. Prospective partnerships to increase market share 2. Upcoming Restructuring Policies 3. Opportunities in new segments & geographies | 1. Increasing costs may lead to shutting down of many stores 2. Growing Competition 3. Dangers of Cybercrime on sales |
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Detailed SWOT Analysis of Debenhams
Strength
1. Sound Financial Performance:There was an increase of 2.1% in international like for like (LFL) sales on a reported basis in the 52 weeks to 29 August. The sales of its beauty products surged by 5% & 8% for food services. The full price sales increased by 1.7%. International EBITDA surged by 8%. Magasin's (its primary profit earning international centre) sales stood strong despite a testing business environment. Net debt ameliorated. The final dividend was of 2.4 p per share i.e. a total dividend of 3.425 p per share. Debenhams gross transaction value rose by 2.0% to £2,954.1 million for the 1 year period ending September 2017. Its revenue surged by 1.1% to £2,335.0 million. There was a dip in net finance costs by 1.6% to £12.3 million which is due to reduced average debt of £257 million in comparison to 2016's £273.
2. Strong digital growth: Digital growth grew steadily in Financial Year 2017. The sales through digital platforms grew by 12.7% with 13.4% growth in EBITDA .This growth was steered mainly by the increase in demand for mobile phones. 55% of the orders on digital platform were made through mobile phones and the conversion rate has grown by 15% primarily due to smartphones. Growth is also driven by concentrated & flexible web development programmes, constant improvements in beauty brand presentations & introduction of a web app. This has enabled better user interface & faster user responsiveness. 40% growth across digital platform has been through profits from Magasin (international centre). They have also created their brand presence on UK's Amazon Prime, Very, Label, etc. to enter into new geographies and across different demographics. Debenham's website clocked a phenomenal over 280 million visits in 2017 with the brand having 97% awareness in the UK.
3. Steady Strategic progression: A new programme, Debenhams Redesigned was put forth in FY 2017 which will help Debenhams to expand in social shopping space. Several structural & operational modifications and significant partnerships have been made in 2017. They have decreased stock density which has significantly ameliorated full price sell-through to 1.7%. Debenhams concentrated on categories associated with holiday during 2016 summers & marketed it well which made them the front runner in UK’s swimwear market. It also strengthened its market in accessories & cross- shopping in luggage in the holiday season. They have reintroduced "Beauty Club loyalty" which is endorsed by Alesha Dixon, a popular face which enhances brand representation. It will add to Debenham's existing base of 1.2 million cardholders by more than 10%.
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Weakness
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Opportunity
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Threat
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DELIVERY AND FORMAT
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References used in Debenhams Analysis Report
1. Annual report 2018/ Debenhams Plc - https://ir.debenhams.com/annual-report
2. Results and Presentations/ Debenhams Plc - https://ir.debenhams.com/financial-information/quarterly-results
3. Investor overview / Debenhams Plc - https://ir.debenhams.com/investor-overview
4. Debenhams UK - Fashion, Beauty, Gifts, Furniture and Electricals - https://www.debenhams.com/
5. Press releases - https://debenhams.pressarea.com/pressrelease
The detailed set of references are available on request in the 'Complete report' on purchase.
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SWOT & PESTLE.com (2021). Debenhams SWOT & PESTLE Analysis - SWOT & PESTLE.com. [online] Available at: https://www.swotandpestle.com/debenhams/ [Accessed 06 Mar, 2021].
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Debenhams SWOT and PESTLE analysis has been conducted by Kanupriya Sheopuri and reviewed by senior analysts from Barakaat Consulting - an Ezzi IT and Business Consulting venture.
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