The vice president of Liz Claiborne International, Liz Kane, said last week upon visiting the Dominican outlet that the local franchise is the largest outside of the United States and is a replica of the store the company has on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Angel Guidicelli was the architect, while the interior decoration was carried out jointly by Dominican staff and a team of five from New York. She explained that the company manufactures over seven million pieces of clothing in the Dominican Republic free zones, and were aware that hundreds of Dominicans purchased Liz Claiborne products abroad. The company has shops in Costa Rica, El Salvador, St. Maarten, Colombia, and Chile in Latin America. They have 52 shops in 28 countries. There is also the possibility of opening a branch in Puerto Plata. The company is seeking to open shops in Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina. Liz Claiborne was founded 20 years ago and now has an annual turnover of US$2,000 million. Liz Kane said the company is patronized by women from 25 to 60 years.