JYSK is accelerating its European expansion with plans to open up to 100 stores in major cities over the next three years. The Danish furniture and homeware retailer has shifted the focus of its latest three-year growth strategy toward central locations in European capitals and other large cities, a departure from its traditional base in smaller towns and out-of-town sites.
Up to 30 of the new stores are expected before the current financial year ends in August, with the remaining 70 following over the next two years. This spring the chain opened city-center stores in Dublin and Amsterdam and plans more in both, with further openings due later this year in Stockholm, Oslo, Madrid and Barcelona. President and chief executive Rami Jensen said JYSK already trades from more than 3,600 stores across Europe and is widely known for low prices, but still sees room to get closer to customers living in capitals and other major cities. He added that the group is pushing hardest in countries where it already has a footprint and established recognition. The new urban stores will be slightly smaller than the standard format, at around 800 sq m of selling space against a typical average of about 950 sq m. Founded in Aarhus in 1979, with founder Lars Larsen opening the first Danish store 47 years ago, JYSK now trades in 50 countries and runs around 25 UK stores, mostly across northern and central England.
Why it matters for the pet industry
Cutting selling space from 950 to 800 sq m forces a range edit, and pet is exactly the sort of adjacency that either earns a compact, high-rotation bay or disappears entirely. Urban catchments skew toward cats and small dogs in apartments, which favors small beds, scratchers, collapsible carriers and space-saving feeding stations over large crates and outdoor kennels.
For suppliers the prize is scale on a single specification. A retailer trading in 50 countries buys one pan-European pet bed program rather than a dozen national ones, so factories able to hold Nordic quality documentation and deliver into a central distribution network win volumes no national account can match.
What to watch
- Whether the 30 openings planned before August are delivered on schedule across Dublin, Amsterdam and the Nordics.
- How pet ranges are treated in the 800 sq m city format compared with standard stores.
- Any expansion of the roughly 25-store UK estate into southern England city centers.
FAQ
How many new JYSK city-center stores are planned?
JYSK plans up to 100 city-center stores across European capitals and large cities over three years, with up to 30 opening before the current financial year ends in August and the remaining 70 over the following two years. It already trades from more than 3,600 stores in 50 countries.
How should pet suppliers adapt to JYSK’s smaller urban stores?
JYSK’s new urban stores cut selling space from about 950 to 800 square metres, forcing a range edit where pet either earns a compact, high-rotation bay or disappears. Urban catchments skew toward cats and small dogs in apartments, favouring small beds, scratchers, collapsible carriers and space-saving feeding stations over large crates and outdoor kennels.
Where is JYSK opening its first city-center locations?
This spring JYSK opened city-center stores in Dublin and Amsterdam and plans more in both cities, with further openings later this year in Stockholm, Oslo, Madrid and Barcelona. The retailer is pushing hardest in countries where it already has a footprint and established recognition rather than entirely new markets.
Source intelligence adapted for the GlobalPetIndex pet-industry audience. Original publication: external brief.
