Appointed Debenhams’ Franchisee

Independent:

Debenhams, one of the UK’s leading department stores groups, has appointed United Group its franchisees for Malta. United Department Stores, a fully owned subsidiary of United Group, will operate the franchise.

Debenhams has a strong presence in key product categories including womenswear, menswear, homewares, health and beauty, accessories, lingerie and childrenswear. A unique mix of exclusive own brands, including Designers at Debenhams, and third-party brands differentiates Debenhams from its competitors. Debenhams has a successful own brand portfolio of approximately 55 own brands, such as Debut, Maine New England, Red Herring and Thomas Nash, including 25 Designers at Debenhams.

Debenhams has 30 international franchise stores in 16 countries with a further 15 franchise stores scheduled to open by the end of the 2008 financial year. In the UK and Ireland, Debenhams has 139 stores including 7 Desire by Debenhams stores with approximately 10.1 million square feet of trading space and around 21,500 employees. The stores are located in various locations, including town centres, high streets and shopping centres and cover a wide geographic and size range.

An announcement will shortly be made where and when Debenhams will open its doors in Malta.