The Works to open 50 new stores across UK

The Works plans to open 50 new shops across the UK, taking the discount retailer up to 547 branches by the end of the financial year.

The Works currently boasts 515 stores and the expansion plans will see the retailer have 547 branches by April 2020. It’s believed the new stores will create around 350 jobs, bucking the high street trend which saw a www.thebookseller.com/news/growth-bookshops-record-number-shops-disappear-high-street-985381.">record number of shops closing in Britain last year.

“We opened 50 last year and it’s our intention for 50 this year and they will be all over the country from Scotland to Wales,” said property director Kerry Hughes. “Certainly we are bucking the trend. Obviously the retail climate is changing and the number of vacant units are creating opportunities for us. We have a really good proposition that the consumer is really liking. We have a very vigorous sign-off process but the skill is in opening stores that are profitable and sustainable. We have a robust model that has served us well for a number of years and the current climate enables us to continue that.” 

The chain has recently opened stores in Nottingham, Oxford and Cambridge with plans in the next few weeks to set up shops in Newton Abbott, Swindon, Westwood Cross shopping centre in Broadstairs and Warminster. C.e.o. Kevin Keaney has previously suggested there is the potential to open 1,000 stores in the UK and Ireland as part of its growth strategy. According to Hughes, the retailer plans to continue with its usual offering of discounted books, stationery, games, toys and art and craft materials. 

“Our proposition is still very similar to how it has been in the last few years. We have a large percentage of books, a large percentage of gifts, and we have the kids products and we also have a lot of stationery. The sassy consumer likes a bargain and everyone’s £10 needs to go further and we represent great value for money with more and more people shopping at The Works,” said Hughes. 

Reflecting on The Works’ book offering, he said: “We are very proud of our bookselling heritage and as a company we are very proud to be associated with books. We find that in particular, grandparents buying gifts for their grandchildren have got the sense they would rather buy a book or a book based product rather than a computer game. We are very proud to be supportive of books and it is still core to The Works.”

Venture capitalist firm Endless first invested in the firm in 2008 and became a majority stakeholder in 2015, before floating the chain on the stock market in July last year. During its 10-year ownership Endless sought to reposition The Works from a retailer of remainder books to a leading retailer of stationery, toys, gifts, art materials and books. Earlier this year The Works recorded like-for-like sales growth of 3%, with revenues up 13% to £217.5m.