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KARACHI:

The ‘Next’ big thing to hit Karachi is the Next store in town. The British high street fashion brand, that has been operating in the UK since 1982, first stepped into the Pakistani market in Lahore in 2007. Today, the brand has three outlets in the same city.

The fourth store has now been launched in Karachi. The opening ceremony took place on March 12, at Park Towers. The shop features a collection of men, women and children’s apparel. It also stocks shoes among other accessories.

Sharing the details of the project, the managing director of Next, Pakistan, Yasin Paracha said: “We have our presence the world over. As far as Pakistan is concerned, we first launched an outlet  in Lahore and today there are as many as three stores of the brand present in the same city. This is our fourth operation in the country, though the first to be based here in Karachi. We plan to open more stores in this city in the future.”

Spotted at the launch event was British Deputy High Commissioner Robert Gibson who has less than three weeks left to complete his tenure in Pakistan. Throughout his stay, Gibson has encouraged several British investments in Pakistan, starting from Toni&Guy and their diffusion brand Essensuals.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Gibson said: “This is a high street brand, which is classic, young and trendy.” He still wants more UK-based companies to set their mark in Pakistan. “I want to see more British companies investing in Pakistan,” he said.

Among the guests was Farahnaz Sheikh with her two kids. As a loyal Next customer, Sheikh feels happy to have the brand’s outlet in town. Talking about the brand, she said: “I like this brand a lot, it offers high street fashion at an affordable price for small kids and ladies alike. Before, I use to travel all the way to Lahore to get stuff but now that will not be the case.”

The event was attended by celebrities like Saeeda Mandviwalla of Essensuals Pakistan and Fareshteh Aslam,  brand and external communications manager, Unilever, Pakistan.

The brand has started off in Karachi with the collaboration of Pakistan’s brand retailer TeamAVentures, that had been the sole franchiser for Next since 2007.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2011.