International News - Aldo plans further steps into European market

Canadian footwear retailer Aldo is preparing to launch into southern Europe, possibly in the next 12 months.

The retailer opened its first two UK stores last August and now has eight, including two on Oxford Street. There are more than 600 Aldo stores worldwide, mostly in the US and Canada.

International vice-president Norman Jaskolka said: 'The UK represents a strong market for us to grow in. It's also a springboard for international expansion.'

Jaskolka said that in the next 12 to 18 months, Aldo would open franchise stores in 'two to three' more European countries. Portugal, Spain and Greece are most likely. Scandinavia is also a strong contender for expansion in the foreseeable future.

'We were approached by several potential master franchise partners, which acted as a catalyst for us to look more closely at certain countries,' he said.

In the autumn, Aldo will open a store in Singapore, which will provide the same beach-head into Southeast Asia as the UK has for Europe.

Jaskolka said the decision to use franchise partners would depend on issues, including the strategic importance of a region, the scale of the country involved and cultural or legal restrictions.

He said the main edict when dealing with franchise partners was to preserve the Aldo brand, and franchise partners would need a strong 'local infrastructure and an understanding of the brand.'

However, the distinction would be 'more of a corporate ownership issue'.

'We aim for the customer not to be able to notice the difference,' he said.