Debenhams, one of the UK’s leading department stores groups, has appointed United Group as its franchisee for Malta. The franchise will be operated by United Department Stores Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of United Group Ltd.
Debenhams has a strong presence in key product categories including womenswear, menswear, homewares, health and beauty, accessories, lingerie and childrenswear. A unique mix of exclusive own brands, including Designers at Debenhams, and third-party brands differentiates Debenhams from its competitors. Debenhams has a successful own-brand portfolio of approximately 55 own brands, such as Debut, Maine New England, Red Herring and Thomas Nash, including 25 Designers at Debenhams.
Debenhams has 30 international franchise stores in 16 countries with a further 15 franchise stores scheduled to open by the end of the 2008 financial year. In the UK and Ireland, Debenhams has 139 stores including seven Desire by Debenhams stores with approximately 10.1 million square feet of trading space and around 21,500 employees. The stores can be found in various locations, including town centres, high streets and shopping centres and cover a wide geographic and size range.
Francis McAuley, international director, Debenhams said: “Debenhams is delighted to be in partnership with the United Group and is confident that Debenhams and the United Group can build a truly exciting store in Malta. We look forward to bringing our many brands and concept to the Maltese customers.”
Simon Gatt Baldacchino, director of United Group, said: “At United Group, we are delighted to be entrusted by Debenhams to run its prestigious brand franchise in Malta. It reflects the recognition of our group’s commitment and expertise in meeting today’s challenges.
“We look forward to building on the success we have achieved over the past decades with other internationally-renowned brands by delivering value for money to our customers. This appointment is another important step in United Group’s strategy to diversify the retail sector in Malta,” he said.
An announcement will shortly be made where and when Debenhams will open its doors in Malta.