Discount clothing retailers rapidly expand networks

The company already owns 2,000 stores around the world, with 66 of these located in Poland. It wants to open another 7 by the end of this year with Pepcor Poland's Beata Dranikowska declaring that it wants "to close the next year with 100 stores." Within the last two years the company invested zl.30 million locally, and is planning to spend at least zl.40 million more over the next two years. Its discount stores are mainly located in the towns with a population of 20,000-50,000. "However, we will not reject interesting offers in large cities," added Dranikowska. "We have stores in Poznan, Gdansk and Wroclaw." Pepcor is not the only company looking to invest in discount apparel stores though. Bourse listed Redan also wants to concentrate on the development of its network of cheap apparel stores, planning to increase this from the current 113 Textile Markets to 300. According to experts, discount apparel stores are a good idea for business "provided that the companies will create large networks," said Leszek Oszczygiel from the Polish Apparel and Textile Chamber. (Puls Biznesu, p. 9) E.B.