In the latest in a long line of blows to Debenhams, high end beauty brand Estee Lauder has announced it is shutting all of it counters in the chain.

The American brand has told the 600 staff who work on its Debenhams counters that they will be made redundant at the end of the month, as reported by The Sunday Times.

Estee Lauder owns brands including Bobbi Brown and Tom and accounts for around a fifth of Debenhams' £560m beauty business - an area which has always been one the department chain's strengths.

As it stands, Gloucester's store is set to reopen after lockdown.

But having collapsed into administration for a second time last April and announcing that six stores wouldn't reopen after lockdown, this latest move has put further pressure on Debenhams as it tries to avoid outright liquidation.

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