HomeSense
Encyclopedia
TJX Companies
The TJX Companies, Incorporated , is the largest international apparel and home fashions off-price department store chain in the United States. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, the company originally evolved from the Zayre discount department store chain, founded in 1956, which opened its first...
with stores in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
HomeSense in Canada
At year-end 2010, HomeSense operated 82 stores in Canada. The Canadian chain is similar to TJX's HomeGoodsHomeGoods
HomeGoods is a chain of home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies and has 270 stores across the US as of February 2007.HomeGoods operates the home furnishings sections of T.J. Maxx 'n More and Marshalls Mega Store stores....
chain in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
HomeSense operates along with WINNERS in Canada both of which share common ownership with 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.
HomeSense in the UK
In April 2008, TJX launched the HomeSense brand in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The first store to open was in Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
, and this was closely followed by stores in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
followed by Thurrock
Thurrock
Thurrock is a unitary authority with borough status in the English ceremonial county of Essex. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The local authority is Thurrock Council....
in October 2008 and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
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
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Preston, Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Staples Corner
Staples Corner
Staples Corner is a major road junction in London, United Kingdom.It has two linked roundabouts and flyovers, which connect the A406 North Circular Road with the A5 Edgware Road and the start of the M1 motorway...
(London) and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. HomeSense have plans for approx 150 stores in the UK & Ireland over the next 5-7 years, and has alluded to expansion in continental Europe in the future. In 2010 HomeSense plans to open stores in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, Tunbridge Wells, and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. The HomeSense flagship store is located in Westfield Merry Hill, Dudley, England, and opened in May 2010.
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.
As part of TJX Europe's 'Real Responsibility' initiative, HomeSense has partnered with the homeless charity Emmaus
Emmaus (charity)
Emmaus is an international charitable movement founded in France in 1949 by the priest Abbé Pierre to combat poverty and homelessness.Since 1971 regional and national initiatives have been grouped under a parent organisation, Emmaus International, now run by Jean Rousseau, representing 310 groups...
. As well as donating unsold stock, the company has started selling jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
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 3 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.
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.