Debenhams has become the first retailer to launch a 2026 Christmas advert, using famous faces to build festive momentum around its online proposition.
The advert features actors Emily Atack and Mathew Horne alongside singer Gabrielle. The campaign is centred on the retailer’s Christmas offering and the ease of shopping across its digital platform.
Debenhams has also launched a dedicated Christmas hub featuring edits linked to the campaign.
The campaign marks another step in Debenhams’ efforts to establish itself as an online-first destination, following the closure of its UK department stores in 2021. The retailer has increasingly positioned its marketplace model and broad brand portfolio as key parts of its growth strategy.
Its latest Christmas push comes as the business enters the peak trading period with greater confidence. Debenhams Group reported a 13.9 per cent rise in first-half adjusted core profit to £24m in September, while reaffirming its full-year profit outlook. The company attributed the improvement partly to its shift towards a capital-light marketplace model, alongside a return to growth from brands including PrettyLittleThing, Boohoo and Karen Millen.
The 2026 campaign follows last year’s “Debenhams Delivered” Christmas advert, which featured Olivia Attwood, Peter Crouch and Judi Love. That campaign focused on the convenience of festive shopping online and was rolled out across TV, connected TV, out-of-home, radio, social and digital channels.
Debenhams’ latest campaign therefore arrives at an important point in its turnaround, as the retailer seeks to translate improving financial performance into stronger brand consideration during one of the most competitive periods of the retail calendar.
With Christmas increasingly becoming a battleground for online retailers as well as traditional department stores, the campaign gives Debenhams an opportunity to reinforce its breadth of fashion, beauty, gifting and home products while keeping the focus firmly on its digital proposition.
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