There was no apparent air of panic or dejection among staff working in the Debenhams branch on Dublin's Henry Street on Thusday afternoon, some of whom huddled on one floor to discuss previous jobs they had held where there had been takeovers and redundancies.

One staff member asked a manager whether it was “all over” for the department store, and received an assurance that it was not. Management was due to brief staff late on Thursday afternoon.

The mostly young women who work at the store's fashion and cosmetics concessions were generally going about business as usual, precisely what counsel for the company had earlier told the High Court it wished to ensure.

Discounts

For their part, Debenhams customers were blank-faced when asked if they were aware the store had gone into examinership. Sunny weather had drawn plenty of shoppers to the area, but not many seemed to be leaving the shop with purchases.

Customers browsed racks on two fashion floors, some of them on sale with discounts of up to 70 per cent.

One woman said that she found the shop “very dear”.

Sisters Maureen Phelan and Sarah O’Reilly from Tallaght in Dublin said meanwhile that they were not aware the store had gone into examinership but that it wouldn’t affect them wanting to shop there.