Department store chain Debenhams is pushing on with plans to double the scale of its international business over the next five years as it opens stores in Abu Dhabi and Tbilisi this weekend.
The Tbilisi opening will mark its first store in the small former Soviet republic of Georgia.
The firm already has a presence in Abu Dhabi but is scaling up its portfolio in the region, where the growing consumer market driven by a wealthy middle class plays a significant role in its expansion strategy.
Next Saturday it will open a store in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The two Middle Eastern stores will be run by Debenhams’ partner in the region Alshaya Retail.
Last month Debenhams opened its first store in Russia and launched another in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. The group now trades from about 70 international stores across 28 countries including Iran and Malaysia, plus 170 UK outlets.