JAKARTA. Publicly listed PT Matahari Department Store (Matahari) announced on Thursday the opening of a new store in Baubau, Buton Island, making it the 12th Matahari store in Sulawesi and the 133rd in Indonesia.

With the opening of the store, Matahari aims to tap into the growing middle class in Baubau, which has a population of about 170,000 people, said Andre Rumantir, one of Matahari’s directors.

The opening was part of expansion plans this year to tap into the growing retail business in second-tier cities, he added, citing that the store could provide 278 job opportunities to the people of Baubau.

The newly opened store, selling women’s, men’s and children’s apparel, accessories and makeup, is expected to further boost the company’s sales.

According to the department store’s financial data, total sales rose by 13 percent to Rp 14.4 trillion in 2014 from Rp 12.7 trillion in the previous year.

Editor: Uji Agung Santosa