Variety discount retailer Pepco Group is launching its first store in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 September.
Pepco Group, which operates Pepco and Dealz banners across Europe and Poundland in the UK, described the move as an 'important step forward' in its European store expansion.
The opening of the first store in Sarajevo, will be followed by by further openings in locations such as Mostar, Livno, Gradačac, Kakanj, Čitluk and Lukavac by the end of this year, the company said in a statement.
Trevor Masters, CEO of Pepco Group, added, "The opening of the first Pepco store in Bosnia and Herzegovina represents a milestone in the group’s profitable store expansion programme – our biggest source of value creation.
"Pepco is well placed for future success, supported by its market-leading customer proposition as we focus on building a bigger, better, cheaper and simpler business."
Business Expansion
The opening of the first Pepco store in Bosnia and Herzegovina follows the expansion into Western European markets, with the most recent being Portugal earlier this summer.
Pepco Group is on track to open at least 550 net new stores in its current financial year, primarily through the Pepco brand, while also expanding the presence of its Dealz brand in Poland.
The move will see the group create thousands of new jobs across Europe, while ensuring more customers have access to its products.
The latest expansion follows a debt refinancing by Pepco, with its inaugural bond issue of €375 million in June 2023, which saw strong demand from international and Polish investors and was multiple times oversubscribed.
The company also achieved ratings from three global credit agencies – Fitch, S&P and Moody’s – who noted the robustness of the business and healthy organic growth profile, driven by its store development programme, scale, and value offering.
