John Lewis heading to Singapore

British department store John Lewis is set to expand into Singapore after signing a deal to open concessions in two Robinsons department stores in Singapore in July.

The plans follow the successful trial in South Korea with the Shinsegae department store, which started in 2012. The Singapore concession will be run by Robinsons staff and will mostly sell the retailer’s own-brand homeware, according to The Guardian.

The move is part of the retailer’s wholesale export plans, where it expects to export its products to 15 countries over the next few years, and John Lewis chief executive Andy Street told the newspaper that he expects to announce deals in up to five other countries this year.

The retailer recently invited representatives from international department stores to a showcase event at its Peter Jones store in Sloane Square, London in the hopes to attract new partners, such as the Robinson department store in Singapore.

Street told The Guardian that the push overseas was an attempt to “seed” the John Lewis brand abroad for the long term, while adding that the retailer’s strategy still remains “developing bricks and clicks in the UK”.