Debenhams, Britains favourite department store Designers at Debenhams Our Customer's appetite for designer brands continues to grow each year. The 'Designers at Debenhams' ranges offer aspirational merchandise in womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, accessories, lingerie and homeware at affordable prices. These ranges now offer even better value for money, and have an increasingly high profile throughout our stores. Debenhams currently has over 19 Designers at Debenhams, designing over 41 different ranges. Designer collections include J by Jasper Conran, Butterfly by Matthew Williamson, Star by Julien Macdonald, Rocha.John Rocha and St George by Duffer. The strategy is to make these existing brands bigger, whilst continuing to introduce new designer brands in line with our customers needs. Designers at Debenhams Antoni + Alison in the Department Store BDL by Ben de Lisi Butterfly by Matthew Williamson EB by Erickson Beamon EG by Elspeth Gibson Floozie by FrostFrench GS by Gharani Strok J by Jasper Conran John by John Richmond McCloud by Kevin McCloud Midnight by Myla Pearce II Fionda Pip Hackett Reger by Janet Reger Rocha.John Rocha St George by Duffer Star by Julien Macdonald Tomfoolery by Theo Fennell Van Peterson 925 Star by Julien Macdonald. A new glamorous lingerie collection. September 2005 Be by Betty Jackson. A collection of smart casual separates for women. Elie Tahari. A collection of smart casual separates and elegant workwear for women. Star by Julien Macdonald. A collection of bedlinen and bathroom accessories. Cabourn by Nigel Cabourn. A range of sports and workwear with utility fabrics and functional details. Little Antoni + Alison. A range of fun loving and funky new kidswear. St George by Duffer kidswear - a casual street inspired boys range. International brands In total, Debenhams sells over 500 international brands and we are the UK's number one retailer of many international brands, including Clarins and Yves Saint Laurent; Denby, Meyer, Portmeirion and Le Creuset ; Ben Sherman; Playtex and Lepel. Debenhams History Though the company dates back to 1778, the Debenhams name first appeared in 1813 as the partnership of Clark and Debenham in London's Wigmore Street. Prospering throughout the 19th century, the business grew to include a number of retail outlets all over the country as well as clothing manufacturing operations. In 1905, the business was incorporated and Debenhams first department store was opened. In 1928, Debenhams was listed on the London Stock Exchange where it traded as an independent company and continued to expand. In 1985, Debenhams was acquired by the Burton Group and had a portfolio of 65 department stores in key locations across the United Kingdom. In the late 1980s and early '90s Debenhams management began to reposition the business, introducing exclusive ranges of own-brand merchandise across key product areas. In January 1998, Debenhams demerged from the Burton Group and became, once again, an independently listed company on the London Stock Exchange, now Debenhams plc. Debenhams was acquired by CVC Capital Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity and the Management team during December 2003. Debenhams has continued to develop a unique mix of exclusive own brands including 'Designers at Debenhams', international brands and concessions. Debenhams employs 19,000 people and is visited by 15.8 million customers each year. In addition, Debenhams has 15 overseas franchise stores. Making our merchandise even more accessible, we also continue to develop and enhance the offers available through our website.