Deal set to spark intense competition

BEFORE the Debenhams takeover of Roches Stores was finalised senior Brown Thomas executives were seen walking the Roches Stores Patrick Street branch in Cork.

The shop is just one remove from the Brown Thomas store and the surreptitious visit by the executive spoke volumes.

While Debenhams doesn’t have the same cachet as Brown Thomas, its swoop on the nine stores will inject serious competition into the upper end of the Irish retailing market.