Debenhams food division set for nationwide move

Debenhams food services division, which operates the high street retailer's in-store restaurants, is gearing up for significant expansion over the next three years.

The division has developed an Internet café offer, which it intends to roll out both in stores and at stand-alone locations.

The first such unit, a 34-seat eaterie called Intercafé, opened late last month at a stand-alone site in central London.

The division, which has opened two traditional in-store restaurants in Dublin and Lincoln in the last three months, has also developed a speciality cappuccino coffee offering called Café Venue. This will be rolled out to existing department stores as an additional outlet.

Four Café Venues serving quality sandwiches, coffee and pastries have opened over the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, two further in-store restaurants will open at stores in Leeds and Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in spring 1997.

"This is not a massive commitment to expand at a pace that cannot be sustained," said Peter Barrett, managing director of food services. "We're growing on a number of fronts, which makes it far more likely for us to achieve our targets than fall short," he said.

The Debenhams group plans to open 10 more department stores by the year 2000, which will also involve growth of the food services division.

The company currently holds about 12 contracts outside its stores in shopping centres or in other retailer's shops. Opportunities to expand in this area would be reviewed as they arose, said Mr Barrett.