The UK high street looks set for a bit of a revival this year with 12 retailers planning to open new stores.
Although the British high street seems set to collapse, with many chains shutting shop over the last few years, a few businesses are actually planning store expansions over the coming months. The British high street has suffered since the Covid-19 lockdowns as reduced footfall and higher costs have forced many retailers to tighten their belts and subsequently shut some brick-and-mortar stores. However, it is always important to note that some retailers close sites for other business reasons and not because they are struggling financially.
According to recent data from the Centre for Retail Research, around 13,479 high street stores closed for good last year, a 28% increase from the previous year. It estimates that around 17,350 stores will close this year as higher National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and increases in the national minimum wage take effect in April.
However, a number of popular chains seem to be weathering the storm and are planning to open new stores in 2025, including Ikea, Waterstones, The Range and many more. Here’s a small roundup of 12 retailers opting to push ahead with expansion plans this year.
The Range is planning a huge expansion over the next year, as it plans to open 10 new superstores each month in 2025. The discount retailer is currently in the process of converting up to 70 former Homebase sites after taking them on after the chain fell into administration last year.
Nine of these new-format superstores are set to open this month, which will include The Range’s full lines as well as its “Garden Centres by Homebase” concept. Last yeat, Alex Simpkin, chief executive of The Range, Homebase and Wilko, owner of CDS Superstores, said: “While those Homebase stores acquired by CDS will continue to trade as they are during the transition period, we’re focused on ensuring a seamless transfer of these locations into our new store format, with six launches now confirmed for January 2025 already.”
Last year, Co-Op announced that it planned to open a further 75 new supermarket stores over the next 12 months as part of its expansion plans. The new stores will consist of up to 25 new Co-op operated locations, with the first set of stores launching in early 2025.
These sites will also include services such as parcel collection and returns, as well as payment services. They will also operate as a hub for Co-op’s online quick commerce operation. A further 50 additional branches are also expected to open as franchise stores this year. Co-Op is also planning to refurbish 80 existing stores this year. Stores which are set for a refurb include branches in Exeter, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Avonmouth, Hereford and Clapham.
Holland & BarrettHolland & Barrett has said it plans to open a further 50 stores across the UK this year which includes standalone stores, new formats and in-store concessions with retail partners. Last year, the health and wellness chain spent £70million refurbishing 280 stores and opening 35 new sites. This included expanding its concessions in Tesco and adding them to retailer Next.
Holland & Barrett property and format director Nick Gerrard told The Grocer Magazine last year that it was in talks with new partners about expanding its concessions network even further. He explained: “There are some undeniable facts, we want Holland & Barrett to be accessible. We’ve only got 19 standalone sites on retail parks, because generally the size of boxes available to us are too big. However, there’s partners in those retail parks, be that Tesco or Next or whoever, who actually have spare space and want to make their offer more interesting to the customers that shop with them.”
The high street book chain Waterstones plans to open at least a dozen new bookshops this year. Waterstone’s chief executive, James Daunt, told the Financial Times newspaper that it had managed to open 12 new bookshops in the UK last year and was planning to “do that or more in 2025”.
B&Q is set to open more stores as part of its “Local” format over the next 12 months., The first B&Q local store opened in 2023 in London, and last year, the DIY retailer opened its first local site outside of London in Brighton, East Sussex. B&Q will also open new superstores across the UK and the Republic of Ireland after buying eight ex-Homebase stores worth £5.7million last month. Chief executive Graham Bell said: “We look forward to swiftly concluding these purchases and converting the stores to the B&Q brand and offer, and to welcoming our new customers to the stores and new colleagues to the B&Q family.”
Aldi is investing a further £650million into its store estate this year as it aims to open 1,500 supermarkets across the UK. The supermarket chain is aiming to open at least 30 new stores this year. Last week, Aldi confirmed it was opening nine new stores in London, including new locations in areas such as Wimbledon, Fulham Broadway, Caterham, and Orpington. The long-term goal for Aldi is to open 100 stores in the capital.
Alongside its planned London stores, the supermarket chain plans to open stores in Billericay in Essex, and Cheadle in Stoke-on-Trent. Aldi will also open three new Scottish supermarkets in Arbroath, Baillieston and Kirkintilloch as part of a £40million investment over the next two years. In 2024, Aldi spent a whopping £800million on expanding its store estate in the UK.
Like its fellow discount counterpart Aldi, Lidl is also spearheading openings this year, aiming to hit 1,100 by the end of 2025. The supermarket is set to open around 40 new sites over the next financial year – with eight planned for the start of this year. Last October, Lidl exchanged on a £70million sale and leaseback deal which included 12 new stores in locations such as Crediton, Manchester, and Saffron Walden.
In December, Lidl opened six new UK sites in Shinfield, Bovey Tracey, Downham Market, and Stirchley. Alongside these, a new store in Connah’s Quay replaced the old Lidl in the town, whilst its site in Chessington reopened following a full refurbishment and extension.
Gymshark plans to open three more stores this year, the first being a 9,000 sq ft site at Westfield White City in London. The new store will be its third site in the capital, alongside its existing stores on Regent Street and Westfield Stratford City. The gym wear retailer is also planning to open its first standalone store in the north, with a new 7,500 sq ft site set for Manchester’s Trafford Centre in the summer. The store – based on Upper Peel Avenue – will sell the retailer’s popular ranges plus exclusive Trafford Centre ranges.
Jo Malone is set to open up another eight stores as part of its expansion plan. The fragrance brand is reportedly targeting market towns as it works to increase its store numbers from 37 to 45 by the middle of this year. Some areas reportedly set to get a new store include Wilmslow, Farnham, Market Harborough, Leamington Spa and Chichester. Jo Malone senior vice-president and global general manager Jo Dancey recently told The Financial Times: “People are more local than they’ve ever been before, and that is something that we’re tapping into. We’re also going to spaces where there isn’t necessarily another retailer.”
The high street beauty chain Sephora is planning to open 20 new stores across the UK. At the end of 2024, the chain had seven stores nationwide. CEO Guillaume Motte told The Times in November last year that he wanted to double the brand’s footprint to “at least 20” over the next two to three years.
The retailer’s first new site is its new 6,727 sq ft Liverpool One store, which is set to open to the public in the spring of this year. Sephora relaunched in the UK in 2022 and opened in Westfield White City a year later, having previously exited the UK market in 2005. Currently, the retailer has stores in London’s Stratford City, Manchester’s The Trafford Centre, Metrocentre and Eldon Square in Newcastle, Bluewater in Kent, and Birmingham Bullring.
Last year, Sarah Boyd, Sephora UK’s MD, said: “By the end of this year, we will have opened seven stores in five regions, and I’m thrilled to share that our regional expansion will continue in 2025, with the first new store opening of the year at Liverpool ONE.
“We have had immense demand from our fans in Liverpool to open a store in their city, and we are excited to open one in a city that embodies a remarkable energy and boasts a rich and vibrant history that resonates with our brand values. Liverpool has been a key location in our brand expansion plans, and we were prepared to wait for the right opportunity, which this prominent Liverpool ONE unit provides. As we prepare to welcome both new and existing customers, we are looking forward to creating a truly memorable and enchanting shopping experience at Liverpool ONE, in an exciting store format that reflects the spirit of the city.”
The supermarket chain has recently enjoyed its “best-ever” Christmas and is planning to open 20 new superstores and around 25 convenience stores over the next 15 months. According to Sainsbury’s, the first few supermarkets will open in the first few months of the new financial year.
On the new openings, chief executive Simon Roberts said: “This Christmas, five consecutive Christmases, we’ve taken market share. Customers [are] really buying into our combination of value, quality and service but in reality, there are too many parts of the UK where customers can’t get to a Sainsbury’s. We acquired a number of stores from Homebase and Co-Op last year. They’ll open over the next 12 months, in addition to our pipeline of new supermarkets that we will open anyway.”
The discount chain B&M is set to push ahead with its expansion plans, with the aim of opening 45 new stores over the next 12 months. The retailer recently confirmed that it was on track to hit its target of 45 new stores this financial year, which runs until March 31, 2025. The same goal is also in place for the next financial year. B&M – which is aiming to have 1,200 stores in the UK – said in November it had successfully converted 44 of the 52 former Wilko locations it took on when the chain fell into administration in August 2023. Currently, B&M has around 772 stores across the UK.
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