British-based retailer Debenhams is set to open its first-ever department store in Iran, offering "saucy" lingerie and designer clothes for the country's women, who are obliged by law to wear a headscarf in public, press reports said Tuesday.
The three-story store will open in the Islamic republic's capital on its commercial road, which is dubbed the "Regent Street of Tehran," after London's trendy street with the same name, British tabloid The Sun reported.
Iran imposes a strict dress-code and all women—Muslim or not—are forced to wear a headscarf as well as moderate clothing, which includes no leg or arm baring attire.
But the international director of Debenhams thinks the store will be a big hit as the younger generations are less conservative.
The store will have a huge lingerie section that will ban men and will sell designer dresses. “I’m expecting the Iranian market to be similar to the rest of the Middle East," The Sun quoted Francis McAuley as saying.
"It’s there that we sell our most daring lingerie — the extremely sexy stuff sells really well in Saudi Arabia," he added.
Speaking about Iran McAuley said: “It’s a really self-sufficient country — they have everything except fashion so there’s a real pent-up demand…Iran is one of the friendliest places I have been to,” the paper reported.
At least two more stores are planned in the conservative country.
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