Debenhams opens first store in Bulgaria

British retailer Debenhams has opened its first store in Bulgaria, as the brand looks to establish itself in the Bulgarian retailer market, which it has marked as a “strategically important market” for its European expansion.

Debenhams is the anchor tenant at Bulgaria Mall in the capital Sofia, which services the affluent Boyana & Simeonovo districts and is the 71st international opening for Debenhams.

The store, which is Bulgaria’s first department store concept, spans across 45,000 square feet, and will be selling its exclusive designer collections such as H! by Henry Holland, Rocha by John Rocha and J by Jasper Conran, as well as the Edition range, which have previously not been available in the country.

Commenting on the opening, Debenhams International Director, Francis McAuley, said: “We see Bulgaria as a strategically important market for our European expansion, and Sofia is an appealing location for our first store opening here.

“There is clearly a gap in the market for a strong department store offer. Our aspirational brands at value for money prices across fashion, cosmetics, accessories, lingerie and homeware will appeal to Bulgarian consumers.”

The retailer also confirmed that it intended to open further stores in Sofia and around Bulgaria, added that they “already have a second store in the pipeline for 2013/14” and that the expansion was part of its strategy to double the scale of its international business over the next five years with Europe playing a vital part in achieving this.

Debenhams currently operates in more countries than any other department store with 71 franchised stores in 26 countries from Iran to Ireland and Malta to Malaysia, and as well as Bulgaria, the retailer is targeting opportunities in Serbia and Croatia, as part of a broad European focus.