Full list of high street chains OPENING stores including Primark and B&M – is there one near you?
The high streets have suffered greatly from the closure of shops in Britain in recent years, but it hasn't been all doom and gloom.
Recent data from the Center for Retail Research shows that approximately 120,000 employees lost their jobs in 2023, while more than 10,000 stores closed.
Some of the biggest names affected included Wilko, who fell to government in August, and stationery giant Paperchase.
It comes as retailers battle high energy and labor costs, while households increasingly resort to online shopping.
But it wasn't all bad news: a number of retailers are expanding their store portfolios after positive periods of turnover.
More than a dozen chains, including household names such as Primark and B&M, are bucking the trend and opening branches in the UK.
From Asda to Primark, Nike to Sainsbury's, here are all the brands bringing stores to shoppers in the coming months and years.
Asda
Asda said it will open 110 smaller Express convenience stores by the end of February as part of major expansion plans.
The retailer will convert 470 locations acquired from the Co-op and EG Group into Express stores at the end of March.
By the end of January, the supermarket chain had converted 259 locations.
The Express stores are small, local stores, rather than large superstores that are often located out of town and offer both branded and own-brand products.
Primark
Last week, Primark confirmed plans to open new branches and invest and renovate more than a dozen of its existing stores.
It comes as part of a £75 million investment in its UK shopping complex.
Primark previously announced that new stores will open in Bury St. Edmunds, Teesside Park and Glasgow Fort in 2024.
Meanwhile, branches will open in Epsom and Newbury in 2025, ultimately taking the retailer's store portfolio to 195 stores across the country.
Wilko
Wilko has already launched a comeback on the high street, opening stores in Plymouth, Luton and Exeter before the end of 2023.
The retailer, which went bankrupt in August last year, has plans to further open the shutters.
CDS Superstores, trading as The Range and Wilko, has previously said it could reopen dozens more Wilko branches.
Speaking to local media last year, The Range CEO Alex Simpkin said it plans to open about 50 Wilko stores.
Some of the locations are expected to open in 2024, although exact opening dates have not yet been announced.
B&M
In January, B&M said it had plans to open 17 new locations by 2024, some of which would open soon.
The discounter has already opened the shutters of branches in Stourbridge, Allestree and Loughborough.
But it will also welcome customers to stores in Arnold, Beaumont Lays and Gunness for the first time.
The retailer currently has more than 660 stores, but in the long term aims to have 950 locations nationwide.
Peacocks
Peacocks will open three branches in Winchester, Ripon and Bexhill, although exact opening dates have not yet been announced.
It comes after the retailer opened stores in Marple and Penarth.
The huge fashion chain went bankrupt in November 2020 after the pandemic saw the high street quiet down.
In April the following year, 200 of its more than 420 stores were saved when it was bought out of administration by an international investment consortium, but 200 stores closed.
However, the company is slowly rebuilding its store portfolio, which now stands at around 350 stores.
M&Co
Another retailer to see its demise in recent years, M&Co fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022, with its brand and intellectual property sold to Yours Clothing.
In June 2023, the brand announced that it planned to open 50 physical M&Co stores over the next two years, which was a surprising turnaround.
The stores were originally scheduled to open last fall, but so far this has been postponed.
It is not yet clear where the stores will be located and when they will open their doors.
Nike
The major sports brand Nike will open a new store within a few days.
The retailer, which currently operates 40 UK stores, will open the shutters of the Teesside retail park on February 22.
The new 'Nike Unite' store offers customers click-and-collect service, self-service checkouts and more.
Sainsbury's
Britain's second-largest supermarket has unveiled plans to add 75 convenience stores to its already 800-strong supermarket chain.
It will also roll out fast electric vehicle (EV) charging points to more than 100 stores, up from 20, by the end of the 2024-2025 financial year.
It comes as the chain announced it would revamp its supermarkets with a focus on creating more food space and cutting costs by £1 billion over the next three years.
Chief executive Simon Roberts said: “We are committed to being the first choice for food, so more customers can enjoy even more excellent Sainsbury's food in more of our stores.
“That means more space for our food offering, while still being able to deliver the general products that customers expect from us.”
Sainsbury's owns Argos and has closed several of these stores in recent months, instead moving concessions to nearby supermarkets.
W.H.Smith
Last month, WHSmith announced it would open 15 new stores in the United Kingdom.
But the new branches will not be found on the shopping streets, but in airports, train stations and hospitals.
The retailer announced the plans in an update to investors, saying the new locations will open in 2024.
But no exact opening dates or locations have been listed yet.
It is part of the retailer's wider plans to open 110 new stores worldwide.
Previously, the retail company's boss said it does not expect any high street stores to open and is focusing on more profitable travel locations.
It has even closed some city center locations in recent months, but has around 1,400 branches.
Costco
Costco plans to open fourteen new warehouses in the UK over the next two years.
Locations will open in Chelmsford, Colchester, Exeter and Preston.
It is understood they could be completed by 2025, although some stores could be delayed if the acquisitions take longer than planned.
Costco currently has 29 stores in the UK, including in Leeds, Derby and Croydon.
The 15 proposed new locations will bring the portfolio to 44.
Strange fish
Weird Fish, a fashion chain sold by Next, will open ten new stores in 2024.
The British company said it was targeting market towns, city centers and holiday resorts.
The Lake District in Cumbria and surrounding areas such as Liverpool and Manchester are among the priority areas ahead.
Sephora
Beauty Sephora will open its third UK store in Manchester this summer.
When it opens, it will be the beauty retailer's first store in the north of England.
Sephora announced the opening in an Instagram post, writing: “You heard right: Sephora is coming to the Trafford Centre, Manchester.
“Get your shopping carts ready as we head north! More to come soon, see you in 2024…”
It came after Sephora opened its second store in Westfield Stratford in November last year, and the first in Westfield, London, in March 2023.
Hobby craft
Hobbycraft, which currently has around 100 stores, will open the shutters on four more stores within weeks.
The retailer, known for selling art, knitwear, stitchwear and more, will open branches in several locations.
A branch in Salisbury will welcome customers for the first time on February 27, while another in Selly Oak will open on March 5.
Two branches in Dunstable and Bagshot will open on March 12 and March 26 respectively.
Bargains for home
Discount chain Home Bargains, which currently has more than 500 British stores, will welcome customers to a new branch within a few days.
The store in the Pompey Centre, Portsmouth, will open to shoppers on February 17.
It comes after TJ Morris, which runs the Home Bargains stores, said it would take over all Quality Save stores after acquiring the brand in January.
TJ Morris was founded by Tom Morris over 40 years ago and opened its first store in Liverpool.
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