Debenhams’ flagship shop in Oxford Street will not reopen as the department store chain announced the permanent closure of six branches and 320 job losses.

The news comes after JD Sports pulled out of a deal to save the retailer, which has been in administration since 2020.

Debenhams said it would also close its stores in Portsmouth, Staines, Harrogate, Weymouth and Worcester.

Debenhams began trading in London as a drapers’ shop in Wigmore Street in 1778.

The store in Oxford Street – said to be Europe’s busiest shopping street – was renovated in 2013.

The news is a further blow to the UK’s retail sector following lockdown restrictions.