// Dunelm will be opening the doors to a new store later this year, in the former John Lewis Atria Watford unit
// The store will house a range of products from bedding and outdoor living, to haberdashery and dining
Dunelm is set to open a store within the Atria Watford shopping centre in the 33,000 sq ft former John Lewis unit.
The Leicester-based homeware retailer‘s new store, set to open later in the year, will stock a range of products, including bedding, outdoor living, home accessories, made-to-measure, haberdashery, kitchen and dining.
It already has 179 stores across the UK, and the Watford store will be located in an ex-John Lewis unit which shuttered back in 2020 as part of the high-street giant’s store closure programme.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
According to Dunelm, its sustainability credentials “will be central to the new ranges”, including many items from its Conscious Choice range, with products made from at least 50% recycled materials, and a Textile Takeback fixture, allowing customers to return unwanted textile products to be purposefully recycled or redistributed.
Dunelm director of store experience Andrew Hamilton said: “We’re delighted to have found a new home for our latest Dunelm store in Atria Watford, which provides us with an ideal location to serve the local community, bringing to them a huge range of homewares that is an unbeatable combination of quality and value.”
Last month the business enjoyed a 6% boost in sales thanks to savvy shoppers cashing in on a later winter sale.
Its total sales rose to £423m for the 13 weeks to April 1 hailing a successful Winter sale, which it moved to the third quarter.
At the time, chief executive Nick Wilkinson said: “As we continue to seize the many opportunities we see, we are investing for the long term and making good progress against our plans, which include the ongoing development and extension of our product ranges, building our customer data platform and optimising our marketing channels.”
The retailer expects its full-year profit to beat market forecasts of £176 million due to the “resilience” of its shoppers.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
