Marks and Spencer is to tackle India with plans to open two trial franchises in October. The company has formed a partnership with Planet Sports for stores in Bombay and New Delhi, scaled down from the usual 40,000 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft, and selling lingerie, linen and shoes An M&S spokesman said: "When we announced we were pulling our wholly owned stores out of the European continent in March, we said we planned to focus on franchises following the model of stores we have in Greece and Turkey." The franchise operator will decide how much of the full range to carry. In these cases food has been ruled out. If trials prove successful M&S says further outlets will be opened elsewhere in India. {{NEWS }}

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