BOSSES of a Barrow town centre department store have ruled out an expansion after they were made aware of rumours that staff had been spotted inspecting a neighbouring property.

Debenhams has responded to the rumours after shoppers claimed to have spotted staff inspecting an empty premises in Portland Walk.

One passer-by contacted the Evening Mail after claiming to have seen Principles staff inside the former Bargain Books store opposite Debenhams. However, Debenhams has denied it has any plans to expand.

Principles, now part of Debenhams, was a UK-based fashion retailer founded in 1984. Principles remained part of Arcadia Group until 2001, when it was sold off in a management buyout deal which led to the creation of Rubicon Retail.

Rubicon was subsequently taken over by Mosaic Fashions in 2005 but the parent company collapsed in 2009. The administrators closed 66 stores due to the initial lack of a suitable buyer before Debenhams, which already hosted a number of Principles concessions in its stores, announced that it would acquire Principles.

In February 2010, Debenhams relaunched the Principles brand as 'Principles by Ben de Lisi'.