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Other Stores

Barcelona-Based Worldwide Retail Store S.L, operator of the National Geographic Store, wants to expand its business in Asia with plans to open more than 200 stores in China over the next five years via franchise and local partnerships.

It is now in talks with potential partners and retail operators in the country. It will also open four flagship stores in China, namely in Shanghai, Dalian and Beijing.

The flagship stores will measure 3,000 sq m per store while the other stores will stand at an average of 100 sq m.

It also plans to enter Mumbai, India, by June this year and Tokyo, Japan, by 2011. Worldwide Retail Store currently owns three stores located in London, Singapore and Malaga, Spain.

The group invested about US$9 million (RM28.80 million) for its store in London and plans to open one more flagship store in New York next year.

By the end of the year, it hopes to open between 30 and 40 stores worldwide.

“We hope the business in Asia will contribute between 40-45 per cent of group’s sales in two years,” chief executive officer Pere Matamales said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Worldwide Retail Store and partner YTL Corp will open the second National Geographic Store in Asia, occupying 450 sq m of space in Lot 10 shopping mall, Kuala Lumpur.

Worldwide Retail Store will own a third of the store.

The store showcases a retail market place along with an exhibition area and a Spanish inspired café. It features items like National Geographic rugged basic, international traveller and explorer clothing lines and accessories, among others.

It will also hold public lectures by renowned explorers, authors and photographers.

Matamales said the store builds on the success of National Geographic’s strong customer base for its media products in Malaysia. National Geographic Society currently has more than 360 million members worldwide from its television programme, online outreach and magazine.

There are also plans to manufacture National Geographic apparel in Malaysia via a contract manufacturer over the next two years.