Debenhams shines amid retail's summer gloom

Debenhams enjoyed a much stronger summer than many of its rivals as strong demand for womenswear by designers such as the Duchess of Cambridge's favourite Jenny Packham and Matthew Williamson countered the bad weather and the Olympics.

"This shows just how resilient Debenhams has become," said chief executive Michael Sharp. "We also saw online sales growing at three times the rate of the market — up 40 per cent in the last year." Debenhams grew its like-for-like sales by 3.8 per cent over the 10 weeks to 1 September.