Debenhams to launch in Australia with Harris Scarfe Retail Chief executive Graham Dean says Harris Scarfe plans to open 10 Debenhams stores. Photo: PAT SCALA 'It's going to improve our sales densities immediately.' 
Graham Dean, Harris Scarfe chief executive Department store chain Harris Scarfe is gearing up for the biggest sales boost in its 166-year history after signing agreements with British retailer Debenhams to open stand-alone stores and stock its designer clothing range.
Harris Scarfe chief executive Graham Dean has detailed plans to open four or five Debenhams stores in the next three years and 10 over the longer term under a franchise agreement signed in   October after more than 12 months of negotiations between Harris Scarfe's parent, Pepkor South East Asia, and Debenhams' chief executive, Michael Sharp.
Each 4000-square-metre Debenhams store is expected to generate sales of more than $10million - half that of a suburban Myer store - lifting Harris Scarfe's sales by at least $100million to more than $450million and taking Pepkor South East Asia's annual revenues to almost $1billion.
"Once you talk about stand- alone department stores in major centres, you're talking pretty significant turnover," Mr Dean said. "If you have 10 of those up and running, that's going to add some significant turnover to the business."
Under a separate brand agreement with Debenhams, Harris Scarfe will stock the Designers for Debenhams clothing range as well as handbags, cosmetics and intimate apparel in most of Harris Scarfe's stores.
"We're not a destination for fashion, we know that," Mr Dean, a former senior Myer executive who joined Harris Scarfe 14 months ago to lead the revitalisation of the retailer, said.
"What this does is allow us to parachute in some ready-made credible international designer brands - straight into Harris Scarfe stores - it's going to improve our sales densities immediately."Northern hemisphere retailers entering Australia, including GAP and Top Shop, have struggled in the past with reverse seasonality.
Mr Dean, 50, who started his 30-year retail career at Sainsbury in Britain and spent 10 years at homewares retailer Habitat before coming to Australia 11 years ago, is confident the Debenhams model will work.
"[Overseas retailers] would traditionally dictate the range to the franchise partner - that's not how this deal works," he said.
Harris Scarfe's team will select Debenham's best-selling products, and products it thinks will appeal to shoppers, including Debenham's summer range in Queensland stores in the same season.
"We'll bring to market what we know is going to sell rather than what we hope is going to sell," said Mr Dean, who has hired Myer's former head of womenswear, Nicole Naccarella, as head of fashion.