Payless ShoeSource to open franchise stores in Philippines

Topeka, Kan. Payless ShoeSource said Tuesday that it will begin selling shoes in the Philippines as part of an international expansion.

Payless will work with Stores Specialists, which is based in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, to open its first store there by mid-2010. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Plans include opening five stores to start and more to follow.

Payless, a unit of Collective Brands, also plans to open franchised stores in the Middle East and Russia next year.