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Housewares chain Lakeland has announced the next stage of its overseas store development, with the opening of two stores in India.
The outlets are located on the ground floor of Phoenix Market City Mall in Pune, and on the first floor of Westside Department Store at The Forum Mall in Bangalore. The company believes there is a “tremendous opportunity” for the Lakeland brand in India, and “expects many store openings to follow”. Lakeland’s stores in India are operated by Trent-Tata, one of India’s leading retail businesses, who also work with Zara, Tesco and other international brands
Lakeland already operates nine stores in the Middle East. There are two in Abu Dhabi and two in Dubai and one each in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Lakeland managing director Sam Rayner said: “We’ve been delighted with the response we’ve had to our stores in the Middle East, with nine stores now trading successfully, and have most recently enjoyed the successful opening of our first store in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“It’s been wonderful to see the reputation that the Lakeland brand has already built overseas and just how popular our products are proving, not only with British expats, but with the local community too. Western style cooking is being enjoyed in large parts of the world, so we’ve discovered that the top-selling products in our stores in the Middle East are surprisingly similar to those most popular in the UK. But we also ensure our ranges are tailored to suit local cooking styles too.”
Best sellers from Lakeland’s Middle East stores include: the Sweet Treats Cake Pop Maker (£19.99), 12-Cup Loose-Based Mini Sandwich Pan (£20.99), Silicone Piping Set (£11.99), Traditional Tagine (£21.99) and Lakeland Ice Cream Maker (£39.99).
Lakeland marketing director Tony Preedy added: “There is a considerable opportunity to grow the Lakeland brand both in the UK and internationally and we are delighted to be beginning the next stage of this growth by taking the Lakeland brand to customers in India. Having successfully launched Lakeland in six countries in the Middle East region we are confident that the new stores in Pune and Bangalore will prove very popular too.”
Founded nearly 50 years ago in Windermere by Sam’s father Alan Rayner, Lakeland offers a range of more than 4,000 products, sold online and in 68 stores nationwide in the UK.
