Debenhams aims to re-open two stores in India

British department store group Debenhams, which previously shuttered all of its franchised stores in India, has now revealed plans to re-open two stores in South Mumbai and South Delhi, as part of its plan to rework its retail strategy within the country. The group also announced plans to turn its focus to e-commerce sales, with the department store currently selling its wares online in India through sites such as Myntra, Flipkart, Yebhi.com and Snapdeal.

“We have shut down our current stores and are looking at different locations to re-open these stores. We are mainly looking to open stores in South Mumbai and South Delhi, but have not found any location yet. We are also looking at e-commerce to increase our sales,” commented J Suresh, MD & CEO of Arvind Lifestyle Brands , Debenhams local franchise partner in India.

The decision to renewed its strategy in India comes after Arvind, which acquired Debenhams franchised rights in 2012, was unable to open additional Debenhams stores. At the time of acquisition, Arvind had planned to open six additional stores in the country over the next three years - however a combination of too high price points and unsuitable store locations led to the ultimate decision to shutter all existing stores.