Leeds retailer Joe Browns announces plans to open 10 UK stores by 2024 & create 200 jobs nationwide

Leeds-based fashion and home retailer Joe Browns has announced plans to rapidly expand the business by opening 10 new stores across the UK in the next year. Joe Browns celebrated its 25th anniversary this year and now plans to spread its utterly ‘carefree’ essence across the country.

The company plans to open ten stores by the end of 2024, creating 200 jobs nationwide. The announcement significantly increases its bricks and mortar footprint from the two existing stores, one in Meadowhall, Sheffield which opened in 2017 and a second in York which opened in 2019.

Joe Browns has also announced it had entered into what it described as a ‘toe-in-the water’ franchise agreement which will see another store open in Cumbria. Locations for the other ten stores have not yet been disclosed but the retailer said it was actively researching the most suitable shopping centres, cities and towns across the UK.

Peter Alecock, chief executive, Joe Browns said: “The new stores will bring to life everything that is remarkable about Joe Browns in environments that are unique to us, backed up with engaging customer service from colleagues that live and breathe the Joe Browns ethos.

“We are looking at a variety of locations that we can share when we have signed on the dotted line.  We really can’t wait to get cracking - it’s exciting times for the evolution of Joe Browns and when better than in our 25th year.”

All the stores will bring Joe Brown’s unique ethos and handwriting to life in environments that will allow the retailer’s free-spirited personality to stand out on the high street. The retailer recently shared what it called a ‘robust Christmas’ with sales up +19.5 per cent in the four weeks to 25 December 2022.

Joe Browns was founded by owner Simon Brown, who took inspiration from a group of friends after enjoying a great day on the surf in North Wales ‘laughing, joking and utterly carefree’. Since then, Joe Browns has traded with a simple value of ‘making people feel good’, beginning with menswear and introducing womenswear back in 2002 before adding homeware in 2019.