John Lewis has announced plans to further its international footprint by opening shop-in-shops within 11 branches of SM department stores and Our Home stores in the Philippines.
The SM group is a leading conglomerate in the Philippines focusing on retail, banking and property. It has been trading for over 50 years and has a turnover of $4bn and 160,000 employees.
The shop-in-shop departments, due to open in summer 2015, will build on the success of John Lewis existing outlets in seven branches of South Korean department store Shinsegae, and follows John Lewis‘s recent announcement to open shop-in-shop departments in three branches of Singapore department store Robinsons.
The departments will be sited in SM Retail locations across the Philippines, including in their flagship store Makati and three Our Home stores. The sites will be between 300 sq ft to 1,000 sq ft and will have dedicated staff.
The move is part of John Lewis‘s strategy to seed its brand with international customers, which includes international delivery to 33 countries through the British retailer‘s website and a shop in Heathrow‘s Terminal 2.
A wide range of own-brand home products including bed, bath, tableware and home accessories, such as candles and photo frames, will be on offer in a dedicated John Lewis department.
Andy Street, Managing Director at John Lewis, said: “The success of our partnership with Shinsegae has given us the confidence to continue our expansion in the international market. SM Retail and Robinsons are the perfect partners to help bring the John Lewis brand to a new Asian customer base. We are actively looking for more international partnerships, and expect to make more announcements about our international plans in the next year.
While our move into the Philippines and Singapore will give us access to a new emerging market, our focus for physical expansion remains firmly on the UK, with eight new shops scheduled to open across the country in the next few years.”
John Lewis has 8 new store openings planned in the UK this year, including a new site in Birmingham that will house a champagne bar. Another 10 locations are targeted but the 150 year old retailer has decided that 60 stores is the optimal number for UK coverage.
