Marks and Spencer is to step up its international expansion with the opening of its first store in Dubai next autumn. The 62,000 sq ft franchised store will form part of the Dubai Festival City project, the Middle East’s largest mixed use development, which will include a 2.6 million sq ft retail, entertainment and leisure complex.
An M&S spokeswoman said it would await the store opening before considering further expansion in Dubai. M&S is looking to recruit a general manager for the Gulf States, where it currently operates eight franchise stores across the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. One of the main responsibilities of the post is strategic planning.
Overall there are 190 M&S franchise stores in 30 territories around the world. The spokeswoman denied that it had any current plans to roll out any more company-owned stores internationally. Apart from the UK, the only other company-owned stores are in the Irish Republic and Hong Kong.Nisa-Today’s is trialling a café concept, Café Nisa, next to a Nisa Local store in Isleworth, Middlesex. The 800 sq ft café will serve coffees, pastries, cakes, desserts and snacks, trading daily from 7am to 10pm. It will target commuters, students and professionals and will be managed by Farhana and Saleem Mohammed, who operate the adjacent store.