Chief executive Nick Hollingworth said the move will allow the retailer to test the franchise model and will also be used to gauge the international appetite for its womenswear brand CC.
He said: “We may trial CC within the Austin Reed store in the Middle East to see if the brand works there. I definitely think there are opportunities in other markets for the brand.”
Austin Reed has about 1,000 licensed stores and concessions globally and this month signed agreements for shops in Colombia and Korea. Its CC brand, formerly known as Country Casuals, has yet to launch outside the UK and Ireland.
Hollingworth is also investing in the growth of the CC brand online. Its transactional web site launched in March and he wants it to become CC’s biggest store in terms of sales within a year.
In the next two years, Austin Reed will open 60 stores in the UK, following the management buy-out backed by private equity firm Dawnay, Day in January for£49 million.
Austin Reed has opened 40 stores this year already and£7 million has been set aside for the UK expansion.
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