BHS to launch as online retailer

When BHS was snapped up by Qatar-based conglomerate Al Mana Group back in June, there was little expectation the retailer would make a recovery, let a lone a return to the high street.

While the media has been keeping busy publishing the downfall of the company and the associated activities of its former owners, Sir Philip Green and Dominic Chappell, the Qatari group has been equally productive, setting up a customer services centre in Glasgow, opening a new logistics hub in Dubai and gearing up for its online relaunch this Thursday.

The new BHS will begin as an e-commerce business, and its product will be very different to the BHS of yore. According to managing director David Anderson, who has been working at the retailer since 2009, the business will be targeting a younger customer with its fashion ranges, rather than older consumers, because BHS' online customer has always been younger.

The former BHS online business had 1.2million customers, who will now automatically be registered with the new service. Anderson stated the online business at BHS had been profitable and had been showing rising sales even through the last few difficult years for the wider business

BHS' new headquarters will be in London, employing 84 people

According to This is Money online, the new business BHS will be headquartered in London and employ 84 people and will encompass both the international franchise of BHS stores as well as the BHS.com business.

The first products to be sold on the revamped website will be a range of lighting and home furnishings, which accounted between 50 and 75 percent of the former BHS online sales.

The news will come as a breath of fresh air as the last of BHS's 163 department stores were closed in August. The Al Mana Group already works with a number of high-street brands, such as Zara, Mango, United Colours of Benetton and Reebok, so the online transition is expected to go relatively smoothly.

Mr Anderson said an all-new online technology platform had been developed for BHS, "so we are not inheriting any legacy systems".

Photo credit: BHS.com holding page