INCREDIBLE plans to open 50 new stores have been revealed by an outdoor clothes retailer in a major boost for the high street.
It comes after shoppers were hit with a swathe of closures in recent years as households’ favourite chains have shuttered many sites.
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However, Mountain Warehouse has sparked a ray of sunshine after committing to open 50 new stores across the UK following a surge in demand for outdoor clothing.
The brand has already opened 20 new stores in the UK in the past six months – and now plans to expand to new locations – including famous shops at retail parks.
It comes after the outdoor retailer announced it had scored a pre-tax profit of £26.2million for the year – a drastic increase from £1.5million in losses a year ago, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic’s shockwaves.
The company, which employs around 3,700 people across the UK, said it managed to make record sales after a huge demand was seen for outdoor clothing among Brits.
Sales were also boosted by new openings and the relocation of some 28 shops over the year as part of its portfolio shakeup.
Mark Neale, founder and chief executive of Mountain Warehouse, said new stores are generating positive sales – and the company is keen to open new locations after record profit levels.
He said: “We are doing well in our new bigger shops so are looking for more of these sites,” he said.
“Rents have got more affordable so we are now taking on new stores that we might not have previously gone for. We’ve had really good access to some strong retail parks and high street sites. We have been able to open up in 10 former Arcadia stores, and a few former Wilko shops.”
“In the UK we see the potential for 50 new sites but we are constantly reassessing the market and will be looking at relocations as well.”
Retailers regularly open and close shops for a number of reasons – not just because they are struggling.
It could be because they have a store nearby that is performing better or it may be because they want to pick a spot that has higher footfall, such as in a retail park.
We reveal a list of retailers opening new stores to fight the High Street apocalypse.
Wilko
Wilko will continue its return to the high street this month with an opening in Poole.
The new site in the Dolphin Centre will open its doors on August 16.
On launch day, a ribbon cutting will take place and the first 50 shoppers in the queue will receive a goody bag filled with treats from Wilko.
The much-loved retailer has been making a return to the high street after falling into administration in 2023.
The Wilko name and intellectual property were bought by rival discounter The Range in the summer.
CDS Superstores, which trades as The Range and Wilko, has been relaunching the chain at sites in England, Scotland, and Wales.
The company has also said it will be opening Wilko shops in Northern Ireland for the first time.
The Poole opening brings Wilko’s portfolio to six stores.
Earlier this year CDS, which has been slowly bringing the chain back to UK high streets, announced it was opening its sixth shop in Poole this year.
Toys R Us
Toys R Us is set to open five new stores in August as it makes its return to the UK high street, with 30 openings planned for the summer.
The August openings are as follows:
- Newton Abbot – August 3
- Halifax – opening – August 10
- Lancaster – opening – August 10
- Richmond – opening – August 24
- Taunton – opening – August 31
The stores will open as concessions inside WHSmith branches across the UK.
Toys R Us was founded in 1957 by American businessman Charles P Lazarus.
It quickly expanded after opening its first store in Wayne, New Jersey, to become a chain of more than 1,500 stores worldwide.
Toys R Us collapsed in 2018 and closed all of its 100 UK branches, but announced plans to relaunch in October 2021.
B&M
Discount retailer B&M is to open its expanded store in Harpurhey, Manchester, on August 24.
While some of its rivals have struggled over the past few years, B&M has been thriving, opening a number of new sites in the past two years.
The opening is among 14 planned by the bargain chain as it continues to expand across the country.
Three of the planned openings are relocations to larger or better sites, while this is the expansion of an existing site.
Marks & Spencer
M&S is to open a new store in Friern Barnet in August, but it has yet to confirm the exact date it will open its doors.
M&S has been investing in new openings, looking to operate 180 full-line stores and 420 foodhalls across the UK.
The investment follows a string of store closures as part of radical restructuring plans announced by bosses.
Branches in Manchester and Swindon have closed since August last year.
In total, the chain has said it wants to close 67 “lower productivity” sites between 2022 and 2027.
Aldi
Aldi is pursuing rapid expansion and is expected to open stores this month, although has not confirmed details.
The budget supermarket already has 1,000 locations across the UK, with plans to reach 1,500.
The supermarket is set to invest £550million in expanding its UK footprint this year alone.
Aldi said each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average.
