Poundland tops the ranking owing to its acquisition of 99p Stores, while a large number of c-store operators make the top 30.

The top 30 retailers by store openings

According to data compiled by the Local Data Company, Poundland was the fastest growing retailer in the past 12 months because of its acquisition of 99p Stores, with all stores being converted by the end of summer 2016.

The top 30 retailers by store openings
RankFasciaNet openingsLive unitsUnits in 2015% growth 
1 Poundland 258 796 538 47.96
2 Spar 112 2058 1946 5.76
3 McColl’s 65 937 872 7.45
4 Screwfix Direct 58 457 399 14.54
5 Marks & Spencer Simply Food 54 528 474 11.39
=6 One Stop 43 877 834 5.16
=6 Card Factory 43 801 758 5.67
8 Carphone Warehouse 39 942 903 4.32
9 Toolstation 36 229 193 18.65
10 Sainsbury’s Local 34 776 742 4.58
11 Argos 33 413 380 8.68
12 Aldi 30 654 624 4.81
=13 The Works 29 320 291 9.97
=13 Poundworld 29 266 237 12.24
15 Savers Health & Beauty 25 328 303 8.25
16 Bargain Booze 23 441 418 5.5
17 Bensons For Beds 21 268 247 8.5
=18 Currys PC World 19 256 237 8.02
=18 Bargain Booze Select Convenience 19 141 122 15.57
20 Peacocks 17 442 425 4
21 Pets at Home 16 416 400 4
=22 Timpson 15 603 588 2.55
=22 Home Bargains 15 386 371 4.04
=22 TK Maxx 15 301 286 5.24
25 H&M 14 229 215 6.51
26 Holland & Barrett 13 683 670 1.94
=27 B&M Bargains 12 280 268 4.48
=27 Tesco Express 12 1714 1702 0.71
=29 Wilko 10 386 376 2.66
=29 Farmfoods 10 333 323 3.1

Given the strong growth in the convenience market, it was perhaps not a surprise to a see a sizeable number of convenience store formats represented.

This included symbol groups McColl’s and Spar, but also the c-store operations of Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

Sainsbury’s is now also represented in the list through Argos, which added a net 33 outlets over the 12-month period.

H&M, TK Maxx and Peacocks show that there are still expansion opportunities for more value-oriented fashion retailers, with these retailers growing by a combined total of 43 stores.

There was also a healthy representation from the general merchandise discounters. Apart from Poundland, the top 30 included Poundworld, B&M and Home Bargains.

Value retailing in general was a recurring theme, with retailers such as Card Factory, The Works, Aldi and Savers also featured in the ranking.

Apart from the discount sector, builders’ merchants (15.7%) and hardware merchants and ironmongers (12.7%) were the fastest growing categories.

This group was led by Screwfix, which added a net 50 stores to take its network past the 450 mark. The business is expected to remain highly ranked over the coming years as it looks to expand to 600 UK stores.

Methodology

Data on which this report is based is collected by physically visiting town centres and out-of-town locations across the UK (excluding Northern Ireland).

650 major UK towns, 898 shopping centres and 1,234 retail parks are updated on a six- or 12-month cycle.

Data received from the field is verified once again in the office before publishing to clients.

Excludes leisure operators. Data from October 2015 to October 2016.

Source: Local Data Company

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