• The Entertainer will make its debut in Cyprus next month
  • The toy specialist is opening three concessions within Debenhams stores
  • Boss Gary Grant wants to open standalone stores in the country next year

The Entertainer is poised to launch concessions in Cyprus next month via a franchise partnership with Ermes Group, which operates Debenhams in the country.

Retail Week can reveal that The Entertainer-branded concessions will open in November within Ermes’ three Debenhams stores in Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia.

The toy specialist, which also has four stores in Pakistan and two in Azerbaijan, aims to open standalone stores in Cyprus during 2017.

The Entertainer founder and managing director Gary Grant said he is “excited” to be growing the business internationally and “developing the brand beyond the UK”.

He added: “We are delighted to have found a well-established and retail expert to be our franchise partner in Cyprus.

“Ermes Group are renowned for their retail acumen and were an appealing partner with many similar values to The Entertainer.”

In an interview earlier this month, Grant told Retail Week that the toy specialist is “looking at 10% plus retail price increases” following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and the falling value of the pound.

In addition to its expanding global footprint, The Entertainer currently operates 127 stores in the UK.