BHS International, which was recently bought by the Qatar based Al Mana group, has finalised deals with three franchise partners to expand its business in 10 new countries in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. A new BHS department store will also be launched in Qatar. The company operates 61 stores in 14 countries including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Malta. “Under the new owners, we have ambitious plans to accelerate this growth, and working closely with new and existing franchise partners we are confident we can do this; since the new international business was formed in June, we have secured agreements with new partners in new territories, and are in discussions with many others,” said David Anderson, managing director, BHS International. Al Mana group bought BHS in April after it fell into administration. The group launched an online store about a month ago in the UK to sell bedding and home furnishing items among other things. The company also announced that clothing items will be added to the online store by November. BHS’ collapse in April led to a loss of 11,000 jobs and a pension deficit of £571m. At a recent parliamentary debate, MPs unanimously decided that former owner of BHS Sir Philip Green should be stripped of his knighthood. He was also asked to quickly sort out the pension deficit, according to British media reports. “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,” added Anderson.
