Modella sets out plans to make TGJones ‘hub of the high street’

According to details of the call shared with Retail Week, TGJones chief executive Sean Toal and Modella Capital property director Charlie Martindale told landlords and property agents that it had long-term ambitions to grow the former WHSmith high street business’ estate from its current 464 stores to more than 500 – although they didn’t set out a concrete timetable in which to achieve that aim.

Toal said that the retailer is currently underrepresented in certain areas like Edinburgh in Scotland, Manchester in the northwest and the southeast, and that the 500-plus future store goal would include resizing and relocations of existing stores.

He also reportedly told the landlords and agents that he envisioned the future of TGJones as being the “hub of the high street”, where customer footfall will be driven by multiple missions: “read through books, use the magazines, learn through our stationery range, play with our Toys ‘R’ Us ranges, and post and bank”.

Toal stressed the importance of the Post Office and banking to the success of the brand’s proposition, saying he envisioned 180-plus Post Office locations in TGJones stores – and that existing stores with post office locations already experience an uplift in footfall of between 4,000 and 6,000 a week.

The retailer is also targeting 250-plus Hobbycraft store-in-stores, and 250-plus Toys ‘R’ Us locations in TGJones stores by the end of the 2027 financial year. While numbers weren’t given for locations, Retail Week understands there are also plans to include Modella Capital’s latest acquisition Claire’s in at least some TGJones stores as well in the future.

Modella and TGJones also told landlords it had upgraded 16 TGJones stores this year, which showcase the brand’s new flagship fascia – with the retailer planning a big opening of a new store this weekend in Leeds on Saturday, November 22.

Toal is said to have told landlords that moving forward, as the brand retrofits and opens new stores based around this more flagship model, the retailer will be looking for longer lease agreements from landlords with fewer break clauses. However, to help with initial fit-out costs, TGJones will be looking for short-term rent reductions or a rent-free period to help with costs.

Modella Capital acquired the former WHSmith high street business in a £76m deal back in March, and rebranded it as TGJones in June 2025. 

TGJones chief executive Sean Toal said: “Having recently completed the rebranding of all our stores to TGJones, we have been talking to all our key partners and sharing our ambitions for TGJones. We have talked about our plans to introduce some of the UK’s most-loved brands, including Hobbycraft and Toys ‘R’ Us, and grow our strong partnership with the Post Office. We hope to create busy high street hubs that serve the needs of customers throughout the UK.

“With the support of Modella Capital, we’ve already refitted 16 of our stores, including our flagship store in Leeds, which relaunches this Saturday.”