Wilko
Despite collapsing earlier this year, Wilko has already begun its comeback. The chain's brand name and intellectual property was sold to The Range in a £5.5 million deal. It initially said a total of five new sites will open before Christmas, but so far has only confirmed the locations of the first three. That means you can now go into a Wilko store in Plymouth, Luton and Exeter, as they have already opened. The company has also said it will be opening Wilko shops in Northern Ireland for the first time. Several of these sites are expected to open in 2024.
B&M
B&M is set to open six new locations within weeks including in former Wilko stores. The discounter agreed to buy up to 51 Wilko locations in a £13 million deal back in September. It's taking on two former Wilko sites next month. One in Washington, Sunderland, on January 26 and the other in Porthmadog, Wales on January 18. B&M will open a branch in Harrow, London, on February 10, then another in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, on February 21. The retailer will cut the ribbon on a branch in Thamesmead, London, on February 22 and Beaumont Lays, Leicester, a day later. B&M also said it would open a branch in Worthing, Sussex, in February or March next year after taking on the lease.
Peacocks
Peacocks is set to open six new stores soon. It has also recently opened four shops around the UK taking the total number of new branches to 11. The huge fashion chain fell into administration in November 2020 after the pandemic shut down high streets. In April 2021, 200 of its over 420 stores were saved when it was bought out of administration by an international investment consortium, but 200 stores sadly closed. However, it has been slowly reappearing on high streets around the country and has built back up to around 350 stores. We now understand the following stores are set to open in the near future, although exact opening dates are yet to be confirmed: Marple, Winchester, Bexhill, Street, Penarth, Ripon.
M&Co
M&Co fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022. M&Co's brand and intellectual property were sold to Yours Clothing. In June this year, the brand announced that it is planning to open 50 physical M&Co stores over the next two years in a surprise turnaround. The stores were set to open in autumn but this has been delayed so far. It's not yet clear where the stores will be located or when they will open their doors but we'll keep you updated.
Sephora
Sephora, the cult beauty retailer, is set to open its third UK store in Manchester next summer. The opening marks the first Sephora store in the north of England. The new store will be a megastore and is set to open in the city's Trafford Centre. Sephora announced the opening in an Instagram post, writing: "You heard correctly – Sephora is coming to the TRAFFORD CENTRE, MANCHESTER. Get your shopping baskets ready as we're on our way up north! More to be revealed soon, see you in 2024…" The news comes soon after Sephora's second store opened in November.
Avon
Avon, the beauty brand with a 137-year history, is to open stores in the UK for the first time. The brand is known for its door-to-door salespeople but announced in November that it will start opening its first shops within the next two months. The UK stores will feature around 150 products, with the full range still only available through its representatives. It's part of the beauty giant's plan for a wider global move into physical retailing. Avon first launched the franchise store model in Turkey almost three years ago, where it now has 63 outlets, and Avon said it has seen sales growth double in the region. The number of stores and their locations in the UK are yet to be confirmed.
Asda
Asda has opened a raft of new Express shops this year already. The supermarket now has 229 Asda Express stores across the nation. It recently announced it is on track to open 1,000 more sites throughout the UK and Northern Ireland by March 2024. Asda also said it plans to launch 11 more Express stores in London during 2024. Back in October, the retail giant launched a plan to convert 116 former Co-op convenience stores and attached petrol stations into Asda Express shops. Asda acquired 132 sites from its rival supermarket Co-op last year under a £438m deal.
Costco
Costco is planning to open 14 new warehouses across the UK in the next two years. The discount retailer is currently eyeing up the locations with hopes to open the new stores there "as soon as possible". Costco is currently looking to snap up warehouses to convert in the following locations: Chelmsford, Colchester, Exeter, Oxford, Cambridge, Maidstone, Brighton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth / Poole, Preston, South Glasgow, South East London, Wolverhampton / North West Birmingham, South West Birmingham. Costco is also set to open a new site in Gloucester after it acquired a major site in Eastern Avenue, just off the M5 motorway in October. The exact opening date has not yet been confirmed. Costco currently has 29 stores across the UK including in Leeds, Derby and Croydon. The 15 proposed new stores would take its total to 44.
Weird Fish
Weird Fish, a fashion chain sold by Next, is to open ten new stores next year. The British firm which sells items on Next's website is preparing new outlets – and says market towns, city centres and holiday resorts are being targeted. The Lake District in Cumbria and surrounding areas such as Liverpool and Manchester are among priority areas ahead. New branches would add to Weird Fish's existing 29 UK stores. It has already launched eight extra shops this year – including in Ambleside in Cumbria, Boscastle in Cornwall and Evesham in Worcestershire. Others openings came in Southwold and Aldeburgh in
