Furniture outlet to occupy former Debenhams store

Stockport-founded retailer, Joseph James Furniture, is to open its second outlet in the former Debenhams store in the town centre.

The furniture retailer’s Stockport site will add to its existing store in Stretford, and sees the brand return to the town after being founded by two school leavers in 2019. Joseph James Furniture’s arrival on 3rd February will also breathe new life into the high-profile retail site, which has been empty since the Debenhams brand closed its physical stores in Spring 2021. The new store will also see the retailer’s current workforce grow from 15 to 23-25 people.

Joseph Shenton and James Pullen, founders of Joseph James Furniture, said of opening the new Stockport outlet:

“After building a strong customer base, we thought the time was right to open a second outlet and the 90,000 sq ft on offer at the former Debenhams building was an opportunity that was too good to miss. The retail frontage of the building is very strong given its location on the busy A6 and we also expect to see a strong level of footfall from Merseyway Shopping Centre. 

“Stockport Council is working hard to attract people to the town centre and the new Interchange, along with the success of Redrock and the Underbanks, has contributed to our commitment to the town. We will offer our customers a great experience, with new stock constantly on display, to keep them coming back instead of browsing online. We believe we are now the largest furniture outlet in the UK in terms of floorspace and we are looking forward to being back in Stockport where it all began.” 

Cllr Colin MacAlister, Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Housing at Stockport Council, said:

“I am delighted that Joseph and James, like so many of our businesses, have seen the benefits of opening a business in Stockport and being part of our journey. All three of the town’s former department stores will all shortly be back in use, which is a huge achievement given the large size of the units.     

“They can also benefit from our investment in the town centre, with the new Transport Interchange opening in March, additional improvements to Merseyway and thousands of new homes in the pipeline, bringing even more people to the town centre. The longer-term plans for the building are still in the pipeline but the fact that the building is occupied again is great news for the town centre.”