John Lewis eyes 11 store openings in the Philippines this summer

Britain’s John Lewis Partnership said on Sunday it planned to expand internationally by opening outlets in 11 branches of department stores in the Philippines.

The outlets, due to open this summer, follow its establishment of shops in seven branches of South Korean chain Shinsegae and an already announced plan to open outlets in three branches of Singapore department store Robinsons.

The Philippines stores will be set up within branches of SM Retail and Our Home, John Lewis said in a statement, and will be between 300 and 1,000 square feet (30-93 square meters) in size.

“The success of our partnership with Shinsegae has given us the confidence to continue our expansion in the international market,” said Andy Street, managing director at John Lewis.

“We are actively looking for more international partnerships, and expect to make more announcements about our international plans in the next year.”

Street said that while the move would give John Lewis, which already delivers to 33 countries, access to a new emerging market, its focus on physical expansion remained on Britain.