21 December 2004 – Belfast (UK): XPD is to open its first store under the Officestore brand in the New Year, to be followed by another 200 stores in three years, founding director James Wilson told opi.net.
The new store, to open in Belfast on 14 January 2005 with franchisee Ulster Business Equipment, will be followed by a store in both London and Cheltenham in February, Wilson said, adding that clusters of three or four stores would then be added to the surrounding areas.
Speaking of Officestore’s longer-term goals, he said: "We hope to have 50-100 stores in the UK and Ireland over the next 12 months, and another 200 stores within three years."
He added that if the right partnership came along, Officestore would also look to move into European markets such as Germany and Italy where XPD’s other OP brands Officepoint and OfficeStar are enjoying success. But he emphasised that the brand’s primary focus would remain on the UK market for the near-term.
