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TK Maxx

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This article is about the international brand. For the American version, see TJ Maxx.

TK Maxx
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
Founded1994; 31 years ago (1994)
FounderBernard Cammarata
HeadquartersWatford, United Kingdom[1]
Number of locations
  • Europe: 596 (2 May 2020)[2]
  • Australia: 56 (2 May 2020)[2]
  • Total: 652 (2 May 2020)
Area served
ProductsClothing, footwear, bedding and domestics, furniture and giftware
ParentTJX Companies
Websitewww.tkmaxx.com

TK Maxx is a discount clothing and homewares retailer, founded in 1994. It is currently based in Watford, England.

It is owned by American retailer, TJ Maxx, who could not trade under the "TJ" initials in the United Kingdom due to the British discount chain, T. J. Hughes.[3]

The retailer has since expanded across Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Poland and Australia, and also trades as Homesense.[4]

HomeSense and TK Maxx joint store in the MetroCentre, Gateshead

History

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In 1976, TJ Maxx was founded in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, by Bernard Cammarata. The first international store opened in Bristol, UK, in 1994.[5] The company modified the name to TK Maxx to avoid confusion with the unrelated British retail chain T. J. Hughes.[6] Opening of stores in the Netherlands between 1999 and 2001 was not as successful as the company wished.[citation needed] The first store in Germany opened on October 4, 2007, in Lübeck.[7]

In 2007, TK Maxx began winding down new store openings in the United Kingdom. Focus was given to revamping or relocating older inner city stores.[citation needed] The company opened larger "Maxx Maxx" stores to attempt to move from a budget reputation and become more like a department store.[8] In August 2008, TK Maxx opened a store on Kensington High Street, London, England, its first central London store, on a site formerly occupied by Habitat.[9]

In 2009, TK Maxx was denied permission by the Crown Estate to open a store in a unit on its land at Piccadilly Circus, London. In February that year, the company had signed a deal with the leaseholder of the unit, a 20,000-square-foot (1,858 m2) vacant site formerly used by Virgin Megastores, with a rent of £1.55 million per year.[10] The Crown Estate rejected TK Maxx, saying it did not fit its upmarket development strategy for the area.[11] In response, publicist Max Clifford and Look magazine launched a campaign in support of a TK Maxx store on the site.[12] A court appeal by TK Maxx against the decision failed.[13]

In March 2009, the TK Maxx e-commerce site was launched, initially selling only handbags, but later also selling other accessories.[14]

In October 2015, the first Dutch store opened in Eindhoven followed by more stores. In April 2017, the brand was launched in Australia, when it took over the thirty five Trade Secret discount department stores. The stores opened in April in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with stores in Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong, Albury, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast by the end of May.[15]

In June 2023, the first store opened in Tasmania, Australia at Northgate Shopping Centre in Hobart.[16]

Charity support

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United Kingdom

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In 2007 and 2009, TK Maxx in the UK was the sole retailer of Red Nose Day T-shirts, sales of which generated £2 million in 2007 and £3 million in 2009 for Comic Relief.[17][18]

TK Maxx has been a supporter of the Woodland Trust since 2004, when it held a Christmas card recycling scheme in conjunction with the Trust.[19][20] From August 2008, TK Maxx introduced charges on plastic carrier bags and donated the proceeds to the Woodland Trust, which used the funds to plant 30,000 new trees on a 15-acre (60,703 m2) site near Elmstead Market, Essex.[21] This was before the 2015 phase-out of plastic bags in the UK, in which charges became mandatory and are now frequently donated to charity.[citation needed]

TK Maxx also runs a 'Give Up Clothes For Good' campaign, where customers are encouraged to bring in unwanted clothes for Cancer Research UK.[22]

Ireland

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In Ireland, TK Maxx actively supports Enable Ireland, a charity which helps provide free services to children with disabilities.[23]

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See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Contact Us Page - TK Maxx UK".
  2. ^ a b "The TJX Companies, Inc. FORM 10-Q".
  3. ^ Freshwater, Paige (October 19, 2023). "Shoppers only just realising why TK Maxx is called TJ Maxx in America". Daily Mirror. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  4. ^ "TK Maxx to open flagship in Melbourne CBD - Ragtrader". www.ragtrader.com.au. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  5. ^ Hoovers. "The TJX Companies, Inc". Answers.com. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  6. ^ Joachim Zentes; Dirk. Morschett; Hanna Schramm-Klein (2011). Strategic Retail Management: Text and International Cases. Gabler Verlag. ISBN 9783834967404.
  7. ^ "T.K. Maxx". The TJX Companies. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "TK Maxx opens in the Hayes". Wales Online. May 24, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Donati, Marino (August 28, 2008). "Shoppers queue for Kensington TK Maxx". Drapers online. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  10. ^ Prynn, Jonathan (April 24, 2009). "TK Maxx 'not posh enough' for West End". Evening Standard. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Cooper, Ben (April 29, 2009). "TK Maxx 'not posh enough' for Piccadilly". Retail Week. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  12. ^ "Celebrities back TK Maxx over Piccadilly Circus store". Retail Week. May 1, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  13. ^ Duxbury, Nick (May 9, 2009). "TK Maxx Piccadilly store court case brought forward". Property Week. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  14. ^ Thompson, James (August 19, 2009). "Discount fashion: Taking it to the Maxx". The Independent. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  15. ^ Campbell, Leigh (April 11, 2017). "Retail Giant TK Maxx Is Launching In Australia". Huff Post.
  16. ^ "TK Maxx opens first Tassie store in Glenorchy". Hobart Observer. June 16, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  17. ^ "Red Nose Day Partners". Comic Relief. June 25, 2007. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  18. ^ "TK Maxx". Red Nose Day 09. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  19. ^ Trust, Woodland. "Our Corporate Partners". Woodland Trust. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "TK Maxx and Woodland Trust working in partnership". Woodland Trust. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  21. ^ Lake, Howard. "Woodland Trust to plant trees with funds from TK Maxx carrier bags". UK Fundraising. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "Give up Clothes for Good". TK Maxx. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Rob Le Boutillier. "Give up Clothes for good - Enable Ireland - TK Maxx Ireland". tkmaxx.ie.
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