Babywear retailer Mothercare is to launch in South Korea.    

The UK-based company has entered into a franchise agreement with Homeplus, a local supermarket chain owned by Tesco, to open retail stores and an eCommerce site.

South Korea becomes the 17th Asian market for Mothercare. Four shops will initially open in Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon and Bucheon next month. Products will be sold online in a subsection of the Homeplus online store.    

 "South Korea is a country we have been looking to serve for some time and we have found a local partner in Homeplus, with extensive knowledge and experience of retailing in South Korea," said Mothercare CEO Mark Newton-Jones.    

Homeplus CEO Do Sung-hwan said Mothercare offered a "one-stop-shop specialist retailer" solution to time-poor parents and those preparing for the arrival of a child.    

When the South Korean stores open their doors, Mothercare's reach will expand to 63 countries and its store network now exceeds 1300.    

Source: Inside Retail Asia