October 13 (SeeNews) - British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) plans to close all 12 stores it operates in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Bulgaria in 2016, the company said on Tuesday.
The downsizing of the store network in SEE, which will begin in January, will allow the company to focus on growing its successful business in Romania and central European countries, a company spokesperson said in response to a SeeNews query.
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The company's exit from Bulgaria will begin in May 2016 and will affect 35 store employees, the official added.
"After careful consideration, we have taken the difficult decision to close our three stores in Bulgaria in May 2016, as we cannot see a way to make these stores commercially viable," the Marks & Spencer spokesperson also said.
In Bulgaria, M&S has three stores - two in Sofia and one in Bourgas, on the Black Sea coast. M&S also operates five stores in Croatia, two in Serbia, and one in Slovenia and one in Montenegro.