When Debenhams’ new chief executive Sergio Bucher unveils his strategy next Thursday, expect to hear about what might be described as social shopping.

Not buying stuff through social media platforms such as Instagram, as the term often means, but the role of the store as a social as well as a transactional place – a role likely to become more important as traditional retail changes.

“A greater emphasis on making Debenhams a store where people meet and spend time is likely also to mean it becomes a place where people are more willing to open their purses”

Bucher, like his counterparts at businesses such as John Lewis, has been carefully considering the future of the department store and, although retail will remain at its heart, it will become more than a shop.

In informal conversation, Bucher has described stores as ‘venues’ – a word that epitomises the sorts of changes likely to be introduced and opens the door to all sorts of in-store entertainment and leisure activities.

The rise in leisure spending, in contrast to retail sales, makes that sensible in its own right and the trend towards eating, drinking and experience is evident at other department store groups.

Debenhams stands to do well out of the shift if Bucher plays his hand well because in many places, despite the pressures it has faced, it remains the pre-eminent local department store.

A greater emphasis on making Debenhams a store where people meet and spend time is likely also to mean it becomes a place where people are more willing to open their purses.

Research by the retailer indicates that people who visit with friends spend significantly more than the average.

Smartphones and stores

In that context, Bucher has been taking what has been described to me as a “forensic” look at where the retailer makes money or doesn’t.

“You can be certain Bucher sees a future for department stores”

So next week you can also expect to hear more about how the Designers at Debenhams offer may evolve, and about ambitions in categories such as beauty in which it has carved out a strong position as a retailer of both well-known and new brands.

With knowledge of etail gained at Amazon, and bricks-and-mortar experience from Zara-owner Inditex and sports giant Nike, there will be interest next week too in what Bucher has to say about the relationship between the various commercial channels.

It is understood he sees the rise of smartphone use and the consumer habits it has brought as highly complementary to a stores business.

Expectations are high ahead of Debenhams’ update.

Broker Investec noted this week: “Sergio Bucher has not taken the chief executive officer job to just tinker with the current strategy, in our view.

“With over a decade of profit erosion, something more radical is needed given the structural challenges Debenhams faces in the mid-market.”

But you can be certain Bucher sees a future for department stores, despite the turmoil engulfing some big US names and some challenges in the UK.

After all, he wouldn’t have joined Debs last autumn if he thought the end was nigh for the department store retail model.