DEBENHAMS department store in Oxford will not reopen after lockdown ends, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

In an email sent to employees, retail directors said that the store on Magdalen Street will not reopen because 'the landlord has served notice on the store as they have alternative plans for the site'.

The email said this notice from the landlord means the company 'must permanently close [their] Oxford store.'

ANNE BEALE: “Sad news. I remember it as Ellison & Cavell before it was Debenhams and have continued to shop there for over 50 years.”

STEFAN THOMAS: “I always loved Debenhams. Bought loads from there over the years and when I had a special occasion a few years ago I used their personal shopper service which, for a bloke, was invaluable. I worked their briefly in 1984 in one of the shoe concessions. I hope it won’t be empty for too long.”

KATE JOHNSON: “It is so sad. It does make you wonder what the high streets and towns will look like after all of this.”

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ALEX KELLY: “There will be nothing for ordinary people in Oxford except Marks and Spencers. This is bad for Oxford.”

CLARE THOMAS: “Gutted, I love that shop. Something there for everyone.”

CHARLIE CASTLE: “So sad, but Oxford council need to find a use for the building to prevent its deterioration. Maybe get a shop like TX Maxx to move into it and share it with another couple of retailers as the Clarendon one is tiny.”

RAYMOND LINDSEY: “High Street shopping is dead.”

RENNA MCDONAGH: “Debenhams has been struggling for so long, this is not a surprise. There will be more casualties.”

PAT NOEL: “And another one bites the dust. So sad for all the people who worked there.”

NICK RUSSELL: “The internet is killing these shops, and the fact everyone’s at home shopping online, it just adds to the fate of this historic building and shop.”

JO SMITH: “I’m gutted, I love Debenhams.You can get so many different things there without having to traipse around town.”

CLIVE RAINBOW: “It was good once, but it did not move with the times and it has been on its last legs for years.”

SALLY WORTH: “Hardly surprising, they ruined it with its current layout and the fact that everything else is the other end of town.”

MICHAELA VESELKOVA-CUPI: “Another shop is closing and another empty space.”

TESSA FORD: “So sad - always enjoyed shopping there, so much choice and good value.”

KEITH TURNER: “Well that sucks. Boswells closed now, Debenhams are now closing, whatever will they close down next? Don’t tell me they’ll close Primark or John Lewis etc.”

KATE BROWN: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it busy in there to be fair.” CORINNE REES: “Another classic store bites the dust.”

SARAH JENNINGS: “It was quite expensive, but really good when the sales were on. I'm gutted that it’s going.”

MARGARET BOGGS: “I am not really surprised, it has been on the cards for a while.”

BENJAMIN-HUGH MACKAY: “A sad day for Oxford. Granny and I used to go in when I was a child.”

BRENDA HARRIS: “Too many pricey shops. Westgate is freezing and there's nowhere to sit. There's nothing much left at all to have a browse around. No wonder people are coming to Banbury with its two retail parks and the town.”

DEBBIE HOUNSLOW: “Both my daughters are now unemployed. I loved shopping in there and the staff were always so friendly and helpful.”

TONY BENNELL: “Sorry to hear this. It was inevitable they would close but I had hoped they would continue for a little longer.”

MARI WEBB: “Shame I love that shop and it was not very expensive.”

ANDREI ANDREI: "People who are gutted now were disappointed when Boswell shut too. Well, if you had shopped there more than once a year it would still be open, now let’s all go on Amazon and buy something."