BOSSES at The Broadway say they are working closely with the team at Debenhams after the store was placed into liquidation.

The high street chain was one of the original stores at the Bradford shopping centre when it opened in November 2015.

It has been a mainstay on UK high streets for 242 years, but is now set to shut its doors for good.

Ian Ward, General Manager at The Broadway, Bradford, said: “The retail industry has faced some huge challenges in 2020 and this week we’ve lost some great high street brands.

“The Broadway team is monitoring the situation with Debenhams closely and are in dialogue with the store team in the Centre.”

Debenhams is to start a liquidation process after JD Sports confirmed it had pulled out of a possible rescue deal, putting 12,000 workers at risk.

The 242-year-old department store chain said its administrators have "regretfully" decided to start winding down operations while continuing to seek offers "for all or parts of the business".

It is understood that the collapse of rescue talks were partly linked to the administration of Arcadia Group, which is the biggest operator of concessions in Debenhams stores.

Debenhams said it will continue to trade through its 124 UK stores and online to clear its current and contracted stocks.

"On conclusion of this process, if no alternative offers have been received, the UK operations will close," the company said in statement.

Geoff Rowley, of FRP Advisory, joint administrator to Debenhams, said: "All reasonable steps were taken to complete a transaction that would secure the future of Debenhams.

"However, the economic landscape is extremely challenging and, coupled with the uncertainty facing the UK retail industry, a viable deal could not be reached.

"The decision to move forward with a closure programme has been carefully assessed and, while we remain hopeful that alternative proposals for the business may yet be received, we deeply regret that circumstances force us to commence this course of action.

"We are very grateful for the efforts of the management team and staff who have worked so hard throughout the most difficult of circumstances to keep the business trading."

JD Sports was the last remaining bidder for Debenhams, which has been in administration since April.