A BIG clothing and homeware chain has abruptly closed a store for good and shoppers “can’t understand why”.
Homesense has around 40 branches across the UK and has become a go-to brand for houseproud shoppers.
The retailer is a subsidiary of TK Maxx which exclusively sells homeware.
But now, Homesense has closed its store in Trafford Palazzo in Manchester to the surprise of fans.
A Homesense spokesperson said: “From time to time we have to make the difficult decision to close a store location when its lease comes to an end.
“Where we do close a store, where possible, we offer our associates roles in nearby Homesense or TK Maxx stores.”
“We thank all our loyal customers and associates and look forward to seeing them in one of our neighbouring stores.”
A message on the Trafford Plazzo branch’s website reads: “This store is now closed. The nearest Homesense store is on Altrincham Retail Park, WA14 5GR.”
Shoppers have taken to social media to share their disappointment over the store’s closure.
One Facebook user said: “I can’t understand why.”
Another added: “Been quite a few times and it was always sadly very quiet.”
A third cried: “It was the only shop worth going to at Trafford Centre.”
And a fourth wrote: “Noooooooooooo..Just ruined my weekend.”
Homesense and TK Maxx have closed almost half a dozen branches over the last year.
Edinburgh’s TK Maxx was forced to close in January last year after the landlord pulled the lease.
TK Maxx also shut up shop in Manchester’s Arndale Shopping Centre in March 2023.
Swansea lost its Homesense store at the end of March last year.
More recently, TK Maxx closed its store in Mell Square, in Solihull town centre in last month.
The retailer is a subsidiary of the TJX Companies which operates thousands of stores under the TJ Maxx brand in the United States.
TK Maxx has 354 stores in the UK and hundreds more operate under the same brand in Europe.
The brand also owns around 75 Homesense stores across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The retailer also opened new branches last year, including sites in Llanelli.
OTHER HIGH STREET NEWS
Several major retailers are also expanding their presence on UK high streets.
Aldi has announced that it will open 35 new UK stores.
The openings form part of Aldi‘s long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK.
The supermarket is set to invest £550million in expanding its UK footprint this year alone.
Aldi said that each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average.
Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores in recent months as it looks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
B&M plans to open “not less than” 45 brand new stores across the UK in each of the next two consecutive years.
The parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
It has yet to give the exact locations where it will open the 100 stores or when they will open.
One of the UK’s favourite bakery chain, Greggs, has exclusively revealed to The Sun plans to open more outlet branches by the end of 2025.
Home Bargains, which was running just under 600 branches as of last June, has said it wants to “eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open”.
The major discounter has stopped short of saying when it wants to reach the 1,000 store target however.
Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.
How to avoid spending more at TK Maxx
TK MAXX, like plenty of other retailers, packs its aisles in front of the tills with cheap items.
But always stop and think, “do I actually need this?”. Remember it’s only a bargain if you were already going to buy it.
Tom Church from Latest Deals said: “On the way to the till, you walk through a tiny zig-zag aisle packed full of cheap items.
“These tend to be less than £5, and often consumables like sweets, chocolates, and coffee. Things to tempt you.
“There’ll also be small beauty bits and bobs, soda, hand gels. ‘Oo, I’ll get that’ is exactly what they’re gunning for.”
TK Maxx often puts yellow and red stickers on products when reducing items further.
Each label also has a numeric code on it.
If there’s a “1” it means the clothing was made specifically for the retailer.
But they can sometimes have a designer label on them as well, so you might think you’re getting a bargain even though the product was made specifically for TK Maxx and hasn’t come from another store.
Tom said: “These are not usually good buys and is a trick by TK Maxx to make you spend more money.”
Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.
The brand opened two new stores in March, and a further three new shops will open this month.
Tesco has revealed plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year as part of major expansion plans.
WHSmith has turned its focus to the travel side of its business, with plans to open new sites in airports, railway stations and hospitals.
Lidl is also looking to open 12 new stores across the UK as it bids to raise £91million in funding from investors.
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