Value retailer QS is to drive homewares as it continues to expand its Store Twenty One fascia.

QS chief executive Anupam Jhunjhunwala said homewares had been one of the highlights for Store Twenty One last year, with year-on-year sales rocketing more than 50%. He said the chain will devote more floorspace to homewares this year.

Jhunjhunwala said the conversion of stores from QS to Store Twenty One would continue this year, and he is seeking about 40 more shops of 4,000 to 6,000 sq ft in smaller, secondary towns as this is where the format has had its greatest success. The new stores will be bigger than many existing QS branches so its homewares offer can be extended.

He said by Christmas 2010 the number of Store Twenty One shops will have increased from 50 to 150 through a combination of new shops and rebadging QS shops.

“We are no different from where Peacocks was five years ago, or New Look 10 years ago,” said Jhunjhunwala. “So 300 to 350 stores doesn’t seem at all difficult. Being in the value sector during the recession has helped us.”

He claimed QS was likely to unveil a “double-digit sales and margin increase” at its year-end in March, which will put it in line for “break-even, or very close to it”.

Property agents Rowley Hughes Thompson, Smith Price and GL Hearn act for Store Twenty One.

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