Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Retail |
Founded | 2001 |
Headquarters | Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Number of locations | Canada - 139 (May 2, 2020) [1] Europe - 78 (May 2, 2020) [1] United States - 69 (October 2024) [1] Total - 286 |
Area served | |
Products |
|
Parent | TJX Companies |
Website | homesense |
HomeSense (stylized as Homesense in Europe and the United States) is a Canadian chain of discount home furnishing stores owned by TJX Companies. It originated in Canada in 2001, and was expanded to Europe in 2008 and the United States in 2017. Outside of the United States, the chain is comparable to the TJX-owned HomeGoods. Within the US, where HomeGoods already operates, it features more big ticket items than its sister store.
Since 2001 this brand operates in Canada, as of 2014, HomeSense holds over 100 stores including its "Mega-stores" which include full Winners and HomeSense stores combined. The Canadian chain is similar to TJX's HomeGoods chain in the United States.
HomeSense operates along with Winners and Marshalls in Canada both of which share common ownership by TJX Companies.
Homesense specializes in home furnishings, selling products that range from low end to name brand. Prices tend to be competitive to account for minor defects or discontinued lines; however they also carry products that are in excellent condition. Some of their items can also be found in other department stores.
In April 2008, TJX launched the HomeSense brand in the United Kingdom. The first store to open was in Poole, and this was closely followed by stores in Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucester, Northampton and Manchester followed by Thurrock in October 2008 and Cambridge in March 2009. By the end of 2009 HomeSense are operating 14 stores and have opened an additional 6 stores between August and November in Worcester, Birmingham, Preston, Romford, Staples Corner (London) and Nottingham. In 2010 HomeSense plans to open stores in Reading, Chichester, Tunbridge Wells, and Chester. The HomeSense flagship store is located in Westfield Merry Hill, Dudley, England, and opened in May 2010.[ citation needed ]
Throughout April and May 2009, the original launch stores received minor refurbishments to bring design and decoration into line with newer stores. This coincided with a relaunch of the company's website, and the adoption of a new slogan, "It makes perfect HomeSense". Prior to this, the slogan was "Unique Finds, Irresistible Prices". The results of a customer survey completed in 2009 showed a 100% recommendation rate from customers, something which had been targeted prior to the brands launch. Staff aprons, the most distinctive part of the uniform, partially change on a seasonal basis.[ citation needed ]
As part of TJX Europe's 'Real Responsibility' initiative, HomeSense has partnered with the homeless charity Emmaus. As well as donating unsold stock, the company has started selling jute bags for £1.99, of which at least 50p is donated to Emmaus. In 2009, the company also started selling Fairtrade cotton bags for 99p. The company does not give out any bags free in order to reduce its environmental footprint. Plastic bags come in three sizes and customers are charged 10p for the medium and large sized bags and 15p for the extra large. The revenue gained is used to cover the cost of manufacturing the bags with any remaining sum donated to The Woodland Trust; HomeSense does not therefore profit from the sale of its plastic bags.[ citation needed ]
By the end of the financial year 2009/10 HomeSense estimates it will have sales of £270M, a 40% increase on the previous year. By the end of fiscal year 14 they expect to be one of the largest home and gift retailers in Europe.[ citation needed ]
HomeSense opened its first Irish stores in Dublin and Cork in June 2017. [2] [3]
HomeSense operates alongside and complements HomeGoods in the United States and so it differs from the original Canadian HomeSense stores and European locations. In the United States, HomeSense has a larger selection of furniture, art, and lighting from HomeGoods stores, and it even offers fixtures. [4] Future plans for the chain include the addition of 400 more stores across the country. [5]
HomeSense opened the first U.S. location in Framingham, Massachusetts in August 2017. [6] Later that month, the company announced plans to open two additional stores in New Jersey in East Hanover and Seaview Square Shopping Center in Neptune. [7] An additional Massachusetts location in Westwood opened on 9 November 2017. [8] As of October 2024, HomeSense is operating in 69 locations across 16 U.S states and territories. Florida has the most stores currently at ten. Delaware, Ohio have the least amount of stores at one in each state, both in Westlake, Ohio and Newark, Delaware. TJX Companies, the parent company of HomeSense, as well as HomeGoods, Marshalls, Sierra, and TJ Maxx are slowly increasing their HomeSense presence in the United States. The HomeSense brand continues to open stores and expand at a slow pace opening stores each year.
Marshalls, Inc. is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 49 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. Marshalls first expanded into Canada in March 2011, Marshalls! is a subsidiary of Marvelous! Stores, Inc.
Real Atlantic Superstore is a Canadian supermarket chain. The chain operates in the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. It is owned by George Weston Limited through Loblaw Companies Limited, and operates under the Atlantic Wholesalers division of Loblaws. Its name is often shortened to Superstore, or, less commonly, RASS.
A discount store or discounter offers a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down costs.
TK Maxx is a subsidiary of the American apparel and home goods company TJX Companies. Its first store opened in 1994 in the United Kingdom. The chain uses a different name from TJ Maxx stores in the United States to avoid confusion with the British retailer T. J. Hughes. TK Maxx now also operates in Australia, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands.
Zayre was a chain of discount stores that operated in the eastern half of the United States from 1956 to 1990. The company's headquarters were in Framingham, Massachusetts. In October 1988, Zayre's parent company, Zayre Corp., sold the stores to the competing Ames Department Stores, Inc. chain. In June 1989, Zayre Corp. merged with one of its subsidiaries, The TJX Companies, parent company of T.J. Maxx, which still exists today. A number of stores retained the Zayre name until 1990, by which time all stores were either closed or converted into Ames stores.
The TJX Companies, Inc. is an American multinational off-price department store corporation, headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was formed as a subsidiary of Zayre Corp. in 1987, and became the legal successor to Zayre Corp. following a company reorganization in 1989.
Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of supermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to Superstore, or, less commonly, RCSS.
A big-box store, a hyperstore, a supercenter, a superstore, or a megastore is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The term "big-box" references the typical appearance of buildings occupied by such stores.
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies. Its market niche is similar to the American store TJ Maxx, and it is a partnered retailer to department stores HomeSense and Marshalls.
Dylex Limited was one of Canada's largest retailers during the 1970s and 1980s, where it operated a number of specialty retail stores, including women's wear, men's wear, and family stores, including BiWay, a large, and now defunct, Canadian discount chain.
TJ Maxx is an American discount department store chain. It has more than 1,000 stores in the United States, making it one of the largest clothing retailers in the country. TJ Maxx is the flagship chain of the TJX Companies. It sells men's, women's and children's apparel and shoes, toys, bath and beauty products, accessories, jewelry, and home products ranging from furniture and decor to housewares and kitchen utensils.
AJWright was a chain of about 129 American retail/outlet stores established in 1998 and owned by TJX Companies. Like its sister company T.J. Maxx, AJWright sold clothing, domestics, giftware, footwear, accessories, and fragrances at prices between twenty and seventy percent below regular prices. AJWright differed from other TJX chains by refreshing its merchandise on a regular basis. For most stores, new shipments arrived every weekday. In early 2011, TJX closed the chain's remaining stores and converted some stores to other TJX brands.
HomeGoods is a chain of home furnishing stores headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. HomeGoods sells furniture, linens, cooking products, art, and other home accessories.
Sierra Trading Post, Inc., doing business as Sierra, is an online and brick-and-mortar retailer of off-price merchandise operated by the TJX Companies. The Framingham, Massachusetts–based company offers products in categories such as outdoor recreation, fitness and adventure gear, and apparel, along with footwear, clothing, and home decor. Sierra sells merchandise through 78 retail stores as of November 2022 and a company website. It carries products from approximately 3,000 name-brand manufacturers.
Food Basics was a no-frills discount supermarket chain owned and operated by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in the northeastern United States.
Bob's Stores was a chain of retail stores in the northeastern United States owned by GoDigital Media Group. Founded as Bob's Surplus in Middletown, Connecticut, by Robert "Bob" Lapidus in 1954, the chain expanded gradually until it was acquired by Melville Corporation and has been reacquired five more times since then. The chain targets moderate-income customers with a selection of footwear, workwear, teamwear, and activewear.
Off-price is a trading format based on discount pricing. Off-price retailers are independent of manufacturers and buy large volumes of branded goods directly from them. The off-price retail model relies on the purchase of over-produced, or excess, branded goods at a lower price, thus being able to sell to consumers at a discount compared to other stores which purchased an initial run. Among the largest retailers of this type are TJX Companies and Ross Stores. The model is more common in countries that import fashion-oriented or household goods, as the discount role in producer countries is usually filled by factory outlets or small-scale open-air marketplaces.
Trade Secret was a chain of clothing, accessories and home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies and had 35 stores across Australia by April 2017. The stores were located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong, Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Albury, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. On 3 February 2017, they announced on their website that they would soon be rebranding all existing locations as T.K. Maxx and opening new locations across the east coast. As of 20 April 2017 the stores were operating as T.K. Maxx.
The retail format influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are exchanged. In some parts of the world, the retail sector is still dominated by small family-run stores, but large retail chains are increasingly dominating the sector, because they can exert considerable buying power and pass on the savings in the form of lower prices. Many of these large retail chains also produce their own private labels which compete alongside manufacturer brands. Considerable consolidation of retail stores has changed the retail landscape, transferring power away from wholesalers and into the hands of the large retail chains.