Revived BHS brand set for international growth drive
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BHS International, formed by the Al Mana Group in June, said it is launching in new countries and intends to open state-of-the-art department stores, starting in Qatar.It added that it is on the cusp of securing deals with three franchise partners covering Africa, Europe and the Middle East as it looks to enter ten further countries, already in 14 with a total of 61 stores under the control of 11 franchise partners.David Anderson, managing director of BHS International, said: “Our international business has been operating since 1985 and it’s enjoyed strong growth in recent years.“Under the new owners, we have ambitious plans to accelerate this,” he added.“In the countries we operate in outside of the UK, visiting shopping malls and stores is very much a leisure and family activity. Our franchise partners have made significant investment in their stores to ensure they provide an enjoyable shopping experience for their customers. We will help them build on this by providing a greater focus on market-specific products, and introducing new and exciting ranges.”The Al Mana Group in September rolled out BHS.com with 84 staff and a range of lighting and home furnishing products that constituted about three quarters of the retailer's top online items sold before it went into administration. The latter step, in April, left a £571 million pension deficit and resulted in the closure of all of its UK high-street stores.