Bonmarché, Peacocks and Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) are set to open 100 new stores across the UK over the next 18 months as the retailers ramp up their expansion plans.
The move will create 500 new jobs, and follows the launch of over 50 new locations in 2023 among the businesses.
Drapers reports that in the upcoming year, Peacocks aims to secure locations within the M25, including areas like Brixton, Elephant & Castle, Tottenham, Uxbridge, and Woolwich, as indicated in a store requirement list shared with property agents earlier this year.
The retailer is also targetting cities such as Scarborough and Whitby in the north of England and Christchurch and Hunstanton in the south as it looks for stores covering 3,500 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft.
Peacocks store count now stands at 330 after a series of store openings last year in cities including Sidmouth, Oban, Saffron Walden, and Brighouse.
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Bonmarché is targeting stores of 2,000 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft in cities such as Bradford and Milton Keynes, alongside Inverness and Stirling in Scotland and Cork and Dublin in Northern Ireland.
The clothing retailer opened new sites across Middlesborough, St Helens, Birdport, Oban, Paisley, Thatcham, Newton Mearns, Chilton, Tring and Dalton Park last year, bringing its portfolio to 225 stores.
Meanwhile EWM, with its current 200 stores, has returnd to key towns like Glasgow and St. Andrews, Newbury, Sidmouth, Keswick, Bury St. Edmunds, and Plymouth.
Additionally, it is expanding into new towns including Barnstaple, Worcester, Lichfield, and Clitheroe.
The business is looking for stores with 1,800 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft of space in town centres and tourist locations.
Alongisde plans to grow their store portfolios, Peacocks and Bonmarché will launch new websites this year followed by EMW in 2025.
The latest expansion efforts come three years after EMW was rescued by international investment consortium Purepay Retail Limited in January 2021, followed by Peacocks a few months later.
Purepay Retail Limited told Drapers: “The business strategy will be a lifeline to communities which have lost high street retailers such as Wilko, M&Co and M&S over the past year.
“The expansion plan is ever evolving and the search for local stores remains a priority for the business to ensure that local high streets remain a vibrant place that people want to visit.”
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