UK's Debenhams says goodbye to its womenswear trading director

Pam Bartley, womenswear trading director of the British department store Debenhams has resigned from the company, announced the retailer this week. Bartley, who worked at the retailer for over 19 years and held a number of positions that ranged from divisional trading director for accessories to director of buying for womenswear, has stepped down to pursue new opportunities.

The womenswear trading director position will be taken up by Sara Stern, current childrenswear and health and beauty director, who will begin at her new post on September 1.

Debenhams said like-for-like sales for its third quarter ended in June were flat, as bosses blamed its New Season Spectacular promotional initiative for diluting sales. The group saw its gross transaction values increase by 0.4% in the same period, while online sales rose by 16.7% compared to the third quarter of last year.

Debenhams is one of the largest department stores in the United Kingdom and has grown to more than 178 locations, including Ireland, Denmark, Bahrein, Jordan, Turkey and Iceland.

Written by Barbara Santamaria