Debenhams owner facing scrutiny from data protection watchdog
Few quirks of modern life are so hated as the inability to cancel a subscription. For retail giant Debenhams, that ire could land it in hot water with the UK’s data protection watchdog.
The retailer could be facing a probe from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after the watchdog received multiple complaints from consumers who could not get off its mailing lists, City AM has learned.
Debenhams, which began as a draper’s shop in central London, became the UK’s largest department store group and at one point operated 178 sites across the world.
Following its collapse and subsequent rescue by online retailer Boohoo in 2021, the group swerved into e-commerce and now operates as a platform for third-party sellers.
Though the move saw the closure of all of Debenhams’ stores and the loss of 12,000 jobs, the AIM-listed retailer’s turnaround has gained momentum in recent months.
Last week, chief executive Dan Finley said the group’s turnaround is “continuing at pace” as the company offloads unwanted assets and slashes costs.
But some shoppers have been aggrieved by the former department store’s push into e-commerce, telling the ICO that its web of third-party providers makes them fear for the safety of their data.
A spokesperson for the ICO said: “We can confirm we’ve received complaints regarding the complexity of Debenhams’ unsubscribe process and repeated ‘leave a review’ requests.
“We monitor trends in complaints to help identify particular areas of concern and allow us to focus on issues posing the greatest risk of harm to people.”
‘I opt out and the emails still arrive’
The data privacy watchdog has the power to impose fines or compel companies to change their practices if it finds that a person’s GDPR has been breached.
The ICO’s spokesperson added: “Anyone receiving unwanted marketing emails can ask the organisation to stop sending them. Where the email includes opt-out instructions, usually an unsubscribe link, people should follow these.
“If no opt-out instructions are provided, people should use the contact details on the organisation’s website to request that marketing emails stop.”
One aggrieved shopper said they were prompted to uncheck five boxes under each of the’ 15 brands which operate as part of Debenhams Group.
“Then [in] the main Debenhams subscriber section there are 19 separate boxes to uncheck. So 94 boxes in total to uncheck and unsubscribe. I have unchecked them all and still the emails arrive,” they said.
Debenhams did not respond to a request for comment.