The Gravity leisure complex in Wandsworth, south London, is an assault on the senses. Teenagers shriek as they race in go-karts on a neon-lit track. Upstairs, a cheery white robot darts around delivering trays of drinks to customers’ tables. Dads display their putting prowess during rounds of mini-golf with their families.

You would never have guessed that this emporium of leisure was, until recently, a huge Debenhams department store. The only remnants of the building’s old occupier are the escalators shuttling punters between the amusement arcade, bowling lanes and an e-sports arena.

It is almost a year since the last surviving Debenhams shut its doors for good. Nine in ten former stores remain empty, according to the data provider LDC.

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