House of Fraser opens first store in China

British department store chain House of Fraser has opened its first store in China at the Sanpower Plaza in Nanjing's Xinjiekou, the International Financial Centre.

House of Fraser was acquired by Chinese group Nanjing Cenbest, a subsidiary of Sanpower, in 2014. Its new Chinese store stocks 300 brands, a number of which will be introduced to China for the first time, such as Radley, Cambridge Satchel Company, Biba Alexandre of England, Peter Werth, Lyle & Scott, Le Tanneur and D.A.T.E.

The store also features new concepts to House of Fraser including "Style by HoF" and Monceau, a lifestyle restaurant and café. It also offers a VIP lounge, a VIP loyalty program, and personal shopping service.

Spanning six floors and more than 425,000 sq ft of retail space, the design of the building is neoclassical taking inspiration from, and replicating, various elements from House of Fraser’s UK store portfolio, such as Frasers’ glass roof and the Jolly’s peacock, a trade emblem in the decoration of the showrooms.

"With House of Fraser Nanjing, our aim was to ensure we replicated the store designs and environment present at some of the brand’s most unique stores including Jenners in Edinburgh, Jollys in Bath and Frasers in Glasgow and also provide customers with a unique premium shopping experience with a strong sense of British tradition," said Sanpower chairman Yuan Yafei.

"We are very proud of the store: its unique design, premium offering, and prime location clearly emphasise our strategy for House of Fraser to become a leading global brand," Yafei added.

House of Fraser operates 60 stores in the UK and Ireland with one store in Abu Dhabi. Last month it was revealed that CEO Nigel Oddy would be leaving the business after the Christmas trading period. Oddy joined the business in 2007 and was appointed CEO in 2015.