Commenting on the news that retailers Debenhams had entered administration, South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth said,

“This will be an anxious time for staff at Debenham’s Dumfries store and sadly when retail bosses are sitting in their board rooms making these decisions staff are often an afterthought. This is clearly one of the company’s smaller stores so turnover will be limited. However, property costs will be a fraction of the level the company has to pay in the big cities. We can therefore only hope this means that whoever is running the company in the next few months, they decide to keep the Dumfries store open. It is not only an important employer but has become a major fixture on a High Street that has been struggling to hold onto retailers for some time.”