Europe calls for JoJo Maman Bébé
by Catherine Woods - Thursday, 11th September 2008 -
JoJo Maman Bébé founder Laura Tenison is in negotiations with a European group to franchise her £18.5m-turnover maternity and childrenswear company.
Tenison is considering franchise opportunities in Europe and the Middle East to boost international sales, partly to protect the company against currency fluctuations.
She reveals JoJo Maman Bébé came close to assigning a franchise partner at the end of last year. “We’re extremely cautious about who we work with. So much of our UK market is funding this early investment into franchising so we’re protective of our brand,” Tenison says.
“We’ve talked in the past to people in the Middle East, and also in India and China. We’re in no enormous hurry with the franchise operation; we want to be extremely careful.”
At their peak, international sales accounted for 10 per cent of JoJo Maman Bébé’s turnover but that number has dropped following the company’s switch in focus to UK retail sites (Tenison currently has 22 stores across Britain).
Tenison also hopes to boost international sales by exhibiting again at overseas trade fairs.
Picture source
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Related tags: middle east, laura tenison, jojo maman bb, franchise, europe,
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