Eerie pictures show an empty Debenhams store in Birmingham as the shutters came down on the shop for the very last time.

Other images showed the store in Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre had been stripped bare after shoppers had turned out in force to do their best to grab a bargain in the closing down sale.

A former employee captured the images, and emotional footage, reports Birmingham Live.

The high street giant, which ran for 243 years, had planned to close the city branch at 6pm last Saturday (May 15), but the shutters actually fell five hours early due to a stock shortage.

With little to nothing left in the shop, they were forced to close down.

The store was eerily empty after customers had grabbed the last of the bargains (
Image:
BIRMINHAMLIVE/ WS)
There were just a few cardboard boxes piled up in a corner as the shutters shut on the store for good (
Image:
BIRMINHAMLIVE/ WS)

Some customers had been in a queue outside the store since 6am.

In the touching video footage, shoppers lined up in the shopping centre cheered and clapped for the staff as the shutters came down.

The store, usually always bustling, was stripped bare (
Image:
BIRMINHAMLIVE/ WS)

Staff members could be see waving goodbye.

Sharing photos of the deserted shop floor on Facebook, former sales advisor Idris Saeed, who worked at the branch for 17 years, wrote: "After working for Debenhams for 17 and a half years, it sadly has come to an end.

The last of the shoppers leave Debenhams in Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre (
Image:
BIRMINHAMLIVE/ WS)

"I’m gonna miss all my staff and friends I’ve worked with throughout all these years.

"I’ve had good times and bad times there but we got through it all these years. My love to you all and it’s been a pleasure to have worked with you all in Debenhams.

"It’s been an emotional ride, I would like to wish my Debenhams family all the best for the future."

Rails were left completely empty (
Image:
BIRMINHAMLIVE/ WS)
Most of the shop was left in darkness as staff prepared to close it up for good (
Image:
BIRMINHAMLIVE/ WS)

The once bustling department store chain, which employed more than 20,000 people before the pandemic, sold its brand and website for £55 million in January but confirmed all its high street shops would close for good.

New owner Boohoo will now run the retail business online-only, as it plans to dip into the world of homeware, rivalling the likes of House of Fraser and John Lewis.